Woven Heartstrings
by LycoRogue
Summary: Chat Noir needs a Christmas gift for Ladybug. Marinette is a very crafty and creative person, so Chat asks her for some help in making a gift for his lady. While hesitant in aiding his attempts to woo her superhero self, Mari reluctantly agrees. Although, after a week of working side-by-side with Mari, Chat Noir's not so sure he wants to gift the scarf he's making to LB after all.
1. The Request

****A/N: The lovely Taurus Pixie included me among four friends she had gifted her story "Twelve Days of Chatmas" to (it's fantastic; go read it!). My heart was so full of how amazing her story was making me feel that I wanted to gift something back to her. I had actually planned something completely different for her originally, but it didn't seem "Christmas-y enough", so that idea is going to have to simmer until her birthday or something. In the meantime, please enjoy, and don't forget to comment if you feel compelled. I live for comments. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!****

* * *

 **\- THE REQUEST -**

The evening was warm despite Christmas being a week away. Marinette breathed in the crisp air as she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Paris was quiet, and lit beautifully before her. The Seine sparkled beneath the City of Lights, and even the stars above seemed to shine brighter in the clear sky. It was peaceful out on her private balcony; a place for her to re-center herself after surviving the stress of being a superhero, completing school work, helping her parents with the bakery, dealing with Chloé Bourgeois's bullying, and failing time and time again to let Adrien Agreste know that she was in love with him.

Out on her balcony, with her gorgeous city laid out before her, there was no Chloé Bourgeois. Her parents didn't need her help in the bakery. School work was a breeze. She was a regular high school girl living a normal life. And most importantly, Adrien loved her back.

Her balcony was her sanctuary, and her escape from reality. So it was quite the surprise when the imaginary walls barricading her from the real world were crashed through by a simple word.

"Um, hello." Chat Noir cleared his throat, startling Marinette from her reverie. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." Chat Noir sat perched on the brick wall blocking her part of the roof off from the rest of the terraced building her family's apartment was in.

"Chat Noir? Wh- what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. It is. I mean, at least Paris is alright. But I-" He shifted from his cat-like pose to a more casual position. He swung his legs out from beneath him, sitting upon the wall as he kicked his feet out, clicking the wall with his heels on their return swing. He began off-setting his kicks, swinging one foot out as the other clicked against the wall. "I was wondering if you- Well, I was hoping that you could-"

"That I could?" Marinette coaxed as she raised her eyebrows and leaned in, wondering why a superhero had purposely tracked her down for something. True, she knew Chat Noir very well, and even considered him one of her best friends, but he didn't know that. Did he?

"You're the girl who designed the cover of Jagged Stone's latest album cover, right?"

Of course. She vaguely remembered a starstruck Chat Noir asking Jagged Stone for an autograph after they had cleansed the akuma that had turned the rock star into Guitar Villain.

"I'm sorry, Chat Noir, but I don't know Jagged Stone well enough to contact him and ask him for his autograph. He and his assistant Penny tend to reach out to me and my parents; not much the other way around."

"Huh?" Chat Noir cocked his head to the side and blinked a few times before shaking his head and hopping off the wall. "No. Oh, no, that's not- You also made those dolls that Puppeteer wanted. The Ladybug and Chat Noir ones, along with some akumatized villains."

"Yes." Marinette drew out the word as if it were a question. She had no clue where he was going with all of this.

"I also started following your friend Alya's other blogs after seeing how good she was with the Ladyblog. I think I remember her posting something on the school blog about how you designed that feather derby hat for the Gabriel fashion show, right?"

"Chat Noir, is there something you needed from me?" Marinette tugged on her shawl again, wrapping it a touch tighter around her. He knew so much about her as a civilian. She was beginning to feel a bit exposed. Did he follow every civilian the same way?

"Oh, right. Well-" He scratched the back of his head and turned away from her. "The thing is, with how talented you clearly are, I was hoping maybe, possibly, if it isn't too much trouble, perhaps you could help me make something?"

"Make something?" It was Marinette's turn to blink a few extra times as her mind quickly reset.

"Do you remember the night when Glaciator was looking for you? The picnic I had set up for Ladybug?"

"You want to make something for Ladybug?" Marinette hoped it was too dark for Chat Noir to see her blush, even with his night vision.

Chat Noir nodded, dipping his head sheepishly as he then looked back up at Marinette with pleading eyes. She knew it was a bad idea to agree to help him make her superhero self a gift. She had no clue how to politely duck out of the request though.

Chat Noir walked over to the banister of Marinette's balcony, and looked down at the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue nestled at the southern entrance to the Place des Vosges.

"I know she's in love with someone else." He dropped his head down to the banister, leaning on his arms. "But I still want to give her something nice, something that would let her know how much she means to me. I want her to still feel special, and know that I value her friendship more than anything else."

Marinette walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know she already knows all of that, right? I-I mean! You two are partners, so I'm totally sure she knows." Marinette awkwardly chuckled. "You don't need to gift her anything to prove it."

Chat Noir nodded softly before pushing away from the banister.

"Still. I really want to do this. Please?"

Marinette tapped a finger against the banister as she looked just past Chat Noir; struggling to find a way out.

"I don't know if I can-"

"Oh, you're-" Chat Noir sadly nodded. "I get it. You're busy with your own things. It was silly of me to think you'd have the time to teach me anything in a week. I'm sorry I bothered you." He hopped up on to the banister; readying to leap away.

Marinette grabbed his belt-tail; not wanting him to leave, especially sounding so sad.

"You know you're not a bother, right?" She refused to let his tail go until she heard the answer she wanted.

Chat Noir gave a little nod, the corners of his mouth tugged slightly with a sad smile.

"Thanks anyway, Marinette. Merry Christmas."

Marinette held his tail firmly in her hand. She couldn't let him leave when he needed her. Maybe while they worked on his gift for Ladybug she could try to convince him that chasing after his superhero partner was a bad idea. Either way, she couldn't abandon her kitty in his time of need.

"Come on inside. We can figure out what you want to make, and if I even have the time to help you." Her hand slid down the length of the tail and finally let go as she walked over to the skylight trap door to her bedroom.

Chat Noir stared as she retreated to the window. His breathing slowed to the point where he resembled a gargoyle frozen protectively on Marinette's balcony banister. As Marinette disappeared inside her room, he finally leapt back down to follow her.

The multitude of Adrien Agreste pictures still papered her bedroom walls, but there was no harm in Chat Noir seeing them now. He already knew how many pictures she had hidden throughout her room; the most embarrassing moment was long gone. She just hoped he was so focused on his gift for Ladybug that he wouldn't also try to question her about Adrien Agreste's face coating her room.

He did glance at them, taking in the room, but graciously left his questions unasked.

Marinette patted on her chaise as she rolled her computer chair next to it, a notepad in her hands. Chat Noir accepted the chaise, and sat cross-legged.

"Alright, so what did you want to make her?"

"I- Well-" Chat Noir tapped his chin with two fingers as his eyes drifted to the ceiling. "Honestly, I was so focused on asking you for help I didn't even think of what to make." He slumped a bit before meekly looking at Marinette again. Then his eyes widened and his mouth puckered into a small O. "Marinette, did you make that shawl?"

"Huh?" She rubbed the yarn still draped around her shoulders. "Oh, yes. I crocheted it. I don't think we'll have time to make Ladybug a shawl though. Besides, how would she wear it while fighting akumas?"

"Well, she doesn't have to wear it while she's Ladybug, but you're right. A shawl is too much. A scarf though? Those are easy, right?"

"Yeah. Did you want to knit or crochet one?"

"Um, which one's easier?"

Marinette chuckled. "Both? Neither? It really depends on the person. Your nails might snag a knitting project a bit more frequently than a crocheting one though." She put her notebook down and rummaged through a bag under her desk. She reappeared with two crocheting hooks and two skeins of yarn. She poked one of the skeins with a hook and lobbed it to Chat Noir.

"Okay," Marinette plopped onto her computer chair again and slid it so close to Chat Noir her legs were practically laced between his. She created a slipknot in her yarn, and slid her hook through. "Watch me as I show you how to chain. You ready?"

Chat Noir's eyes dropped to how close Marinette's legs were before his glance bounced back up to her hands: poised to show Chat Noir his first crochet stitch. He scooted back a little on the chaise before leaning forward to get a good view. Creating a slipknot in his yarn, he slid his hook through.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He wrapped the tail of the yarn around his hand the same way Marinette had hers, and he mimicked how she held the hook.

"Okay, so you're going to hook the yarn like this, and just pull the hook through your slipknot like this. You see? That's called chaining." She looped a few more stitches slowly to show him again and again.

Clumsily, he made his first stitch. It kept him a couple tries to keep the yarn on the hook, but once he figured out the angle, he was able to chain the next few quite quickly in order to catch up. He held up his hook, the yarn and the chain dangling from it.

"Like this? Did I do it right?"

"Purr-fectly." Marinette teased as she winked and bumped his shoulder with her elbow.

He huffed through his grin.

"Ha. Ha." He fought the smile tugging at his cheeks before looking back down at their hands. "Alright, get all the cat puns out now."

"Nah, I'd rather hold on to them. Besides, I haven't quite figured out the wording yet for my joke about you playing with yarn."

"You're gonna make me earn your help, aren't you?"

"A week before Christmas? You better believe it, Kitty." She flicked the bell along the collar of his costume and gave him a soft smile. Instantly she regretted the decision. Ladybug called him Kitty, and played with his bell like that. If she wasn't careful she would give herself away. She had no clue why she was being so playful with him in the first place. It just felt natural to fall into that dynamic, even outside the mask. Especially outside the mask, when she wouldn't be Ladybug leading him on falsely.

Chat Noir fidgeted as the sound of his bell softened into an awkward silence between them.

"Do- Do I still do this chaining thing?" Chat Noir held up his hook again, careful to not let the yarn fall from his hand.

"Oh! Right, sorry." Marinette shook her head to refocus. "How wide did you want the scarf? You want to chain until it's as wide as you want your finished product to be."

He quickly chained a half-dozen more stitches before eyeing up his work.

"Will this do?"

"Maybe a little longer." Marinette chained until her project was about twelve centimeters long. "Like this."

Chat Noir caught up before nodding for Marinette to continue.

"Alright, watch me again. We're going to do our first turn to start the next row." She showed him how to count the chained stitches, how to yarn-over, which stitch to put his hook through, and how to do a half-double stitch.

The technique was a bit tricky for him, so she unwound her stitch to show him again. He successfully turned, and she reminded him how to do the more advanced stitch. He got the first couple right, but once she left him to his own devices the stitches came out too long or too short. He heaved a sigh as the project collapsed to his lap.

"Hey!" Marinette put her crocheting down so she could pick up Chat Noir's instead. "Chat, look at me. Watch. It's not that big of a deal. You just pull gently on this string, and it unravels those stitches. See? All better. Now try again." She handed the scarf back to Chat Noir.

He accepted the fixed project, and tried the stitch again. Marinette watched him carefully as he finished the row slowly. At the end, she showed him how to turn again. She then gave him a brief instruction on the difference between front loop, back loop, and both loops. She demonstrated how to do the half-double stitch using both loops as an anchor. A few minutes later he was back to doing his crocheting on his own.

After crocheting for about an hour, Chat Noir had a little square with a lean on the edge. Marinette gave him careful instruction as to why his one edge wasn't straight, helped him unravel his project, and showed him how to fix his lines. Another hour (and a few tries) later, his square was perfectly straight. Marinette showed Chat Noir how to weave the loose ends of his yarn into his project, and then inspected his work.

"See?" Marinette held up the completed first project for Chat Noir to inspect for himself. "You could do it easily now. You know all the basics." She handed the square to him, and he stared lovingly at his work. "Plus you now have a pot holder. That's one more stocking stuffer off your list."

"Marinette, thank you so much for this." Chat Noir's eyes sparkled with a film of tears. "You really are an amazing girl. One might even call you a civilian Ladybug."

"Everyday Ladybug, actually," she muttered in response.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Nevermind." Marinette gathered up her supplies to put away. "I'm happy to help. I just hope you don't expect much more than gratitude when you give Ladybug her gift."

"No, I know. That's not really why I'm doing this. I just want her to be able to look at my gift and know that she's loved."

Marinette kept her face hidden, and her back to Chat Noir, taking longer than needed to put her yarn and crocheting hooks away. She waited for her cheeks to stop burning.

"Marinette? Something wrong?"

She spun back around, with a big grin plastered on.

"No! It's just, really sweet how you feel about her. I'm sorry she can't feel the same way about you."

"I just hope the guy she loves knows how special she is, and that she feels as loved by him as she deserves." Chat Noir brushed his thumb across his crocheted square before tucking it into one of his pockets.

Marinette wasn't sure how to respond. As far as Chat Noir was concerned, she didn't know enough about Ladybug to say one way or the other, but she wanted to collapse to the floor and weep that the man she loved probably didn't love her back. As much as she wanted the happily ever after, she was stuck on the same boat as Chat Noir: to forever pine for someone, and to feel the heartache of unrequited love.

"Oh, hey, don't feel so sad for me." Chat Noir placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "It's fine. I still have the world's greatest partner, and she's still one of my best friends. Better yet, she told me I was her friend in return. If she can't love me, then at least I can have the next-best thing. Right?"

Marinette couldn't hide her blush this time, so she tried to block Chat Noir's view by placing a hand on her cheek. She was all but positive that she couldn't convince Chat Noir to not give Ladybug a Christmas gift, and after a speech like that, how could she not accept the scarf he was going to make her? He was a lot sweeter and more humble than she had originally given him credit for, and she was intensely grateful that he thought of her – both halves of her – as his friend.

"Thanks again for your time, Marinette. I should probably head out though." Chat Noir climbed up to her bed, and unlatched the skylight. With a quick two-finger wave, he pulled himself up onto her rooftop balcony and headed out into the night.

Marinette latched the window closed after he left, then flopped out in a sprawl across her bed. Her heart beat faster than she thought it should have, and she quietly panicked about Christmas.

She was in love with Adrien Agreste. Nothing could ever change that. She knew nothing could ever change that. But she felt a peace and happiness whenever she was with Luka. She felt her heart quicken each time she heard his guitar and every time she felt his touch. She could never give up her love for Adrien, but Luka made her question if she could love someone else almost as most; if she could be happy with someone she loved second best if Adrien wasn't going to love her back.

Now knowing how much Chat Noir loved Ladybug; now knowing how sweet and wounded he was, Marinette felt her heart beat quicken like it did around Luka. She was in love with Adrien Agreste, but on Christmas, when Chat Noir would give her the homemade scarf, she wasn't so sure anymore that Ladybug would be able to turn him down.

* * *

 ****A/N:** **Okay, so this titling thing was a pain and kept me the better part of 3 days to come up with something not lame that still had the right thematic feel to it. Thank god for Dictionary .com's word of the day: today's was Heartstring. I instantly knew that was my title, but there's already a popular ML fanfic over on AO3 called "Heartstring", so it kept me another 2hrs or so to come up with "WOVEN heartstrings." Hope it all makes sense in the end.**

 **Speaking of end, this was supposed to be a lovely little one-shot Christmas gift for Taurus Pixie. It... took on a life of its own. So there is more to come as things get a little... complicated. (So, have some extra Christmas gift, Pixie.) It's going to be mostly MariChat goodness, but there's some touching family moments sprinkled in as well. For now though, I guess you guys are going to have to wait to see how Marinette handles Chat Noir's gift to Ladybug. :3****


	2. Crafting

****A/N: So sorry, everyone, for the week-long wait on this chapter. Christmas week got... frantic. I was only able to add another couple hundred words each day. I really did mean to have this up on the 26th. So sorry again for the wait. I hope to move a bit faster from now on. Thank you for the reviews, the faves, and your patience.****

* * *

 **\- CRAFTING -**

Chat Noir shifted the bag strapped across his back before tapping on the glass. He tried to use the tip of his nail so it would sound like a pigeon pecking, in case Marinette wasn't alone.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette slid into view of her skylight and yelled through the window pane. "I wasn't expecting you a second night in a row."

He stood up so she could open the skylight for him. Then he simply replied by sliding the bag off his shoulder. Opening it up, he showed her three skeins of red yarn, an unopened package of assorted crocheting hook sizes, and a small sleeve of tapestry needles.

"I know I'm asking a lot," Chat Noir knelt down to be closer to eye level with Marinette, "but do you mind if I start my actual project here? That way you can help me if I screw up again?"

Marinette's chest jerked, like air caught in her throat for a second.

"I have a lot of my own projects to finish up so I can have them done in time for Christmas."

"You can work on them. I'll be quiet and hide in a corner. I can even stay out here and work. I just- I want to be close enough to quickly ask you for help if I need it. Please?"

A blush raced across Marinette's cheeks, and just as quickly vanished.

"Alright. Quiet as a mouse though. I'm here to help you if you need it. Otherwise I'm free to finish my own crafts. Deal?"

"Deal!" He nearly scooped her up into a hug. There was no way Ladybug wasn't going to love his gift if Marinette was helping him make it. He still wasn't sure what he did to deserve knowing someone so amazing, let alone two people, Ladybug included.

Marinette scooted across her bed so Chat Noir had space to jump into her room. Then they each climbed down the ladder from her lofted bed.

"I'm going to be mostly using my sewing machine, so you can take the chaise again." Marinette waved over to the chaise by the south wall before she walked in the opposite direction.

"I really appreciate all of this, thank you." He nestled himself onto the long lounge and took meticulous care to remember how to start his scarf. "Um," he squeaked after a minute, "Sorry to interrupt so soon but-" He held up his package of crocheting hooks and shrugged.

"Oh, right." Marinette popped the package open and pointed out how the millimeters were written on each hook. "It really depends on how tight you want each stitch, but tight also means more stitches for the same overall project size. I'd go with the five millimeter. It's pretty standard for most patterns, and a fairly average size stitch. It should keep it tight enough to be functional, but large enough that you can finish in time."

"Thanks again, Marinette." Chat Noir accepted the offered hook and slid it into his slipknot. He chained about twelve centimeters worth of stitches as Marinette watched. He then did his first turn with some reminder instruction from her. Feeling confident that he was able to keep going on his own, Marinette went back to her sewing machine on the other side of the room.

Chat Noir and Marinette sat quietly in their respective corners for nearly ten minutes before the hum of the sewing machine called to him. Slinging his bag of yarn back over his shoulder so he could walk and work on his scarf at the same time, he slowly shortened the distance between him and Marinette. She was so engrossed in her own work that she didn't notice Chat Noir's approach, instead she hummed Christmas carols to herself as she led the fabric through her machine. She did so with such effortless grace Chat Noir became entranced, forgetting his own project as he watched.

"What are you making?"

Marinette jumped at the sound of Chat Noir's voice so close to her. He was grateful that he had the forethought to wait until she was done with her stitch before asking her anything. She probably would have been irritated if she had screwed up her hemline and had to undo it all.

"I thought we were staying in our own corners; working on our own projects. Doesn't look like you're even working on yours anymore."

Chat Noir looked down at his stilled hands. Realizing he had lost focus, he quickly got back to making up the neglected stitches.

"Did you need something, Kitty?" Marinette's voice was softer; warmer. The irritation of being interrupted already washed off her.

"No. Sorry. I was just being curious. Cat and all." He didn't stop crocheting as he gestured to himself with the hook.

Marinette held up the pink-cloth project she had been working on. It was fairly small, but thick, and clearly inside out. Being mindful of the pins for the sides she hadn't sewn yet, Marinette flipped her project so it was in the right direction. It was a small bag, just large enough for a wallet and perhaps some pens. There was a triangular flap that covered the top opening, decorated with a small rose appliqué made out of an old necktie.

"A purse?"

Marinette nodded before inspecting her work.

"A gift for my friend Rose. I still need to finish attaching the lining, and then I need to seal up the bottom seam here. I should be done in about twenty minutes or so, then I can attach the strap, and I'll be done with another gift."

"How many are you making?"

Marinette pulled a tote out from under her desk. It was already packed with homemade gifts. Chat Noir was able to see some scarves that Marinette knitted, as well as a lap blanket she quilted, some headband ear warmers, a satchel, a very large apron that must have been intended for her father, and a purple and black purse that matched the one she was making Rose; clearly a gift for Juleka.

"You made all of those?" Chat Noir looked at the progress he made on his scarf, and then glanced back at the tote. How did Marinette have the time? Especially when she was now helping him make a last-minute gift.

"I started about August. I nearly have something for everyone in my class, my teacher's gift is done, and I have my parents' done. I still need to finish up my gift for my grandmother, and I have a couple of gifts for my best friends that I need to complete."

Set in a small pile on the far edge of her desk were the last of the presents Marinette needed to work on. There was an earflap winter hat that looked like Nino's baseball cap, a scrapbook with pictures of Marinette stacked beside it, and a small container of beads next to a coil of jewelry wire. Chat Noir's heart stalled for half a second as he remembered the lucky charm bracelet Marinette had given him as Adrien. The beads appeared to be reporter and ladybug themed, so he was pretty positive the new bracelet was earmarked for Alya. Nothing in the pile looked like it was destined to come to him on Christmas, and he wondered if his gift was in the tote of completed projects, or if Marinette forget about him.

"It looks like you still have a lot to do." Chat Noir fought to keep his voice light and cheerful. Marinette thought of Adrien as a friend, he knew she did. His gift was probably in the bin with the rest of their class. He didn't need to feel sad that nothing in her To Complete pile was aimed at him. He cleared his throat and wandered back to her chaise. "I'll let you finish."

"Oh, well, okay. Let me know if you need help."

Chat Noir hummed confirmation as he plopped back down in his spot. He had his own gift to focus on. He didn't have time to debate with himself if Marinette had made him something. Of course she had. Plus, now he would be surprised when he opened the gift. It would have ruined it if he had spotted it before hand.

Another half hour passed. Chat Noir was lost in his thoughts, which usually resulted in him unraveling five minutes worth of work once he realized a bit too late that he had screwed up. Marinette, on the other hand, seemed to breeze through her work, even when lost in thought. Rose's purse was done, and the strength of the product was tested before it was put in the tote with the other gifts. Marinette then started working on lining the winter hat she was making for Nino. All the while she hummed more Christmas tunes. It made it all the harder for Chat Noir to concentrate as he got lost in the lovely warmth of Marinette's voice. It reminded him of his mother humming through their large house, making it feel lived in and more like a home. He missed being wrapped in that sensation.

"How's the scarf coming along?" Marinette rolled her shoulders and stretched a bit before walking over to Chat Noir. "It looks like you're tightening the stitches a bit here, which will throw off the edging, but otherwise it looks great. See? Scarves are easy."

Chat Noir stared blankly at his project, carefully undoing his last row so he could redo the stitches at the same tension as the rest of the scarf.

"Marinette, why did you make a gift for everyone instead of buying something?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, I guess I enjoy having people feel like I know them. It personalizes the gifts, and lets them know that I care enough to take my time to make them something. Same reason why you're making Ladybug a gift, I guess." Marinette plopped on to the end of the chaise and leaned back on it a bit as she glanced up at her skylight. "Besides." A smirk flashed across her lips before it was replaced with her normal, sweet smile. "Making gifts tends to be cheaper." She laughed and tapped Chat Noir on his knee with her fist before standing back up.

She did a few more stretches to pop the tension in her back, shoulders, and arms after sitting in front of a sewing machine for the better part of an hour. She then scooped up the scrapbook and pictures before spreading everything out across her floor. With a contented sigh to ready herself for her next project, Marinette flipped through the pages of the scrapbook she already completed. There were shots of her with her friends, of her family, and of the projects she had completed throughout the past year. Chat Noir mentally counted the number of photos he saw with Adrien in them. He was both surprised and warmed to know that his civilian form showed up roughly once every page.

"Hey, Marinette, what's that picture?" Chat Noir felt guilty about peeping in on her scrapbook project, and even worse calling attention to it with his question. His curiosity was killing him though.

As she gave him a questioning look, Chat Noir used his toes to point out a glamour shot of Jagged Stone. The whole picture had a purple hue to it that blended well with Jagged's hair. Sparkles shimmered throughout the image, and Jagged Stone's face was angled upwards, like he was preparing for water to be splashed on him. The drawing looked amazing, but it didn't look like Jagged Stone's style. It was too much like a perfume ad. Chat Noir was surprised his father didn't think to have a few of his Adrien cologne ads done up like it.

"Oh," Marinette's voice dropped, "that. Yeah, Jagged Stone's producer wanted Jagged to have a more 'youthful' look, like what XY had for his album cover. I'm not really a fan of it myself, so I'm glad Jagged rejected the design. My second attempt I'm definitely much prouder of." She picked up a print out of her album cover art and placed it on the page next to the glamour shot. "However, this first one is still artwork I did, and I promised my Nonna that I'd start showing her as much of my creative work as possible. I hope she prefers the drawing Jagged Stone picked as much as the two of us did."

"You should be proud of the glamour shot one too. I mean, sure, it looks like a perfume ad, and it's a very commercialized style, but it's still really good. I could see it professionally used in advertising." Chat Noir chuckled before realizing why. "With all the studying of the Gabriel line and Adrien Agreste's modeling, I'm surprised you didn't redo that image with Adrien instead. Really make it a perfume ad. Who knows? Gabriel Agreste might even use it, considering you're Adrien's friend."

Marinette blushed. She focused on the two versions of Jagged Stone's cover art she was gluing into the scrapbook, purposely avoiding Chat Noir's gaze. Her fingers lingered on the purple glamour shot as she smoothed it to the page.

"Thanks, Chat Noir." Her voice was small, and she frantically searched for the pictures she wanted for the next page of the scrapbook. "You- you should get back to crocheting."

Chat Noir held up the hook and the yarn wrapped around his hand. "I didn't stop this time." To emphasize his point, he crocheted a few more stitches and turned to finish his row.

"Oh, right." She awkwardly giggled before placing a few pictures down on the scrapbook page.

The duo sat in tense silence as she finished putting two more pages together. Marinette kept herself laser-focused on her work, never looking up from the floor. Meanwhile, Chat Noir curled into the arms of the chaise, and let his mind wander again while he crocheted. His eyes flitted to Marinette, but made sure to re-focus on his project whenever Marinette moved from the page she was working on.

"You really are a talented artist, Marinette." The quiet became overwhelming to Chat Noir. At least alone in his bedroom he could talk to Plagg. It was comforting to have Marinette there, but it almost made it more unbearable to have her so close and yet still feel so isolated.

"Um, th-thank you." Marinette started on a page dedicated to the Gabriel fashion show her derby hat was showcased in. She again lingered as she smoothed out the edges of the center picture: Adrien glancing over his shoulder while wearing Marinette's hat.

The conversation quickly died. Chat Noir wove a few more stitches, his eyes averted from Marinette's gaze. She bit her lip and glued down another picture from the fashion show.

"So," Marinette tried, "any further thoughts on how you are going to give Ladybug the scarf you're making? Do you have a meet-up planned for Christmas?"

"Not yet, but the next time we are on patrol together or have to protect Paris from an akuma I'm going to ask her if we can meet."

"What happens if she tells you she can't? I mean, Christmas is usually a very busy time to spend with family. Wouldn't you want to spend the evening with yours?"

"Mine-" Chat Noir's voice caught, "-doesn't really celebrate Christmas. Not anymore."

Marinette put her glue stick down and stared at Chat Noir. His face burned under her gaze, so he pulled himself further into a ball against the back of her chaise, hoping to hide behind the arms.

"It's not that big of a deal, but it does really make me hope that I can spend it with Ladybug at least. Even for a few minutes. It would-" Chat Noir stopped as Marinette's arms wrapped around his shoulders, her cheek resting against the top of his head. "Marinette?"

"I am so sorry, Chat Noir. Christmas is supposed to be a time to bond with your family and friends." She squeezed, nuzzling against his fake cat ear as she wrapped herself around him for a moment.

Chat Noir blushed before he closed his eyes and hugged her back, breathing her kindness in.

"Marinette, it's alright. Really it is. I'm fine. I have great friends, I have my lady, and now I have this great skill of crocheting thanks to you."

Marinette broke their embrace and knelt on the floor beside him. She gave his hand a brief, tight squeeze, before she shuffled back to her scrapbook.

"That right," she said with false cheer. "And if all else fails, my family will adopt you for the night. All the Christmas cookies you could want."

Chat Noir laughed and wiped a stray tear away with his thumb.

"Thank you, Marinette. You're a good friend."

"Of course, you stray cat." Marinette winked. "Now, get back to work or you'll never get that scarf done in time."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Chat Noir gave a salute before getting back to his project. The two of them continued to work in silence for the next hour, but this time the awkwardness was gone. The quiet was an unspoken promise to be there for each other from that point on.

* * *

 ****A/N: Awww, Mama Wolf Marinette caring for her kitty cat. I wasn't really sure how to end this chapter, and then she surprised me with that hug. These two are too cute sometimes. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I hope I can get the next one out a little faster. Thank you yet again for the reads, faves, and reviews. They are all my life-blood.**

 **Also, I hope Taurus Pixie enjoys this continuation of her Christmas gift. Happy New Year, Pixie, may 2019 be kind to you.****


	3. Connection

****A/N: Okay, so, as per usual for me, this story became bigger than I imagined. I'm not sure how long it's going to be now. Looks like we're getting a chapter per day leading up to Christmas in the story... so... seven? Roughly? We'll see.** **We can pretend it's still a "holiday story" though, considering today is Little Christmas (Epiphany).**

 **Also, I was listening to these two songs while writing: "Legends Never Die" featuring Against The Current, and the clean version of "Ruin My Life" by Zara Larsson. It resulted in an unexpected direction for this story...****

* * *

 **\- CONNECTION -**

"Adrien, what are you doing?"

Adrien jumped at the sound of his father's voice. It was even, almost monotone, and yet it seemed so judgmental. The fire popped in the hearth beside him, startling Adrien a second time.

"Father. I wasn't expecting to see you." The words stung as Adrien said them. He had only meant that afternoon, but after hearing them spoken, he realized the afternoon wasn't the only time he didn't expect to see his father. Since his mother's disappearance, Nathalie and the Gorilla were the adult presence in Adrien's life; not his father. Throughout the months, Adrien had slowly become acquainted with that fact. It wasn't until he heard his father in the same room as him did Adrien realize he never considered sharing a meal with him that day. It was one of the few times he was grateful for the isolation; he could concentrate on the Christmas scarf he was making Ladybug, instead of suffering through the painful tension and awkwardness that had grown between him and his father.

"I'm just as surprised to find you here." Gabriel stood tall beside the armchair across from Adrien. The warmth of the fire, and the welcoming cushion of the chair were stark contrast to the rigid and proper poise Adrien's father wore easily. It was as if Gabriel dared the chair to coax him to sit down. The twenty, tall-backed, wooden dining chairs that lined the elegant banquet table were more Gabriel's style, but even then, it was hard for Adrien to picture his father sitting anymore.

The dining room reminded Adrien of his parents in that regard. Every day he had to deal with the cold, impersonal, lonely, and vacant banquet table. He almost dreaded going near it. Yet, in the same exact room, just a few meters from the table, was the warm fireplace with two overstuffed armchairs facing it at just the right angle to also welcome conversation. Adrien rarely used the fireplace, but he always found it cozy, inviting, soothing, and warm in more than the literal sense.

That was the main reason Adrien decided to bring his crocheting hook and red yarn to the dining room. Once he was done eating he could move over to the fireplace, and enjoy some warm solitude. He would be just as alone in his room, but there was an extra layer of peace by that roaring fire. The fact that Plagg would be right there, but wouldn't be able to talk to him – possibly mocking Adrien's desire to gift Ladybug something – was an added bonus. It actually reminded Adrien of the peace he found at Marinette's the night before. The silence would allow him to be lost in his own thoughts, but the assurance that someone was there to talk if he really needed it kept the loneliness at bay.

All of that tranquility was shattered by a single voice, and it pained Adrien that it was his own father's voice that caused him such anxiety.

"Normally you are in your room if you aren't having a meal," Gabriel clarified. He then rested a hand on the back of the armchair, acknowledging its presence, but proving he didn't need its comfort.

"I just thought, with Christmas a few days away, that it would be nice to use the fireplace. It's almost like she's here." Adrien looked up at the two-meter-tall family portrait that hung above the mantle. It was one of the last happy family moments he had: sitting for it to be painted. His mother was still around, and she spent the whole time joking with his father, who tried desperately to keep his stoic appearance. Adrien remembered smiles still managing to sneak onto his father's face for the briefest of moments before he playfully scolded his wife and straightened his jaw. It was appropriate that a fond family memory was housed over the fireplace in the large dining room. If only that warmth stretched a bit further than the quaint sitting area in front of it.

Gabriel's gaze followed Adrien's, landing on the portrait. His face softened, and he gently nodded.

"You never answered my original question." Gabriel cleared his throat and turned back to his son. He held out his hand, waiting. "What are you doing here, with the yarn?"

"Oh!" Adrien fought his urge to kick his project under his chair and pretend he was just on his phone the whole time. "I'm- I wanted to try crocheting a scarf." Despite his instincts, he handed his project to his father.

Gabriel inspected the workmanship, holding the half-meter-long scarf and running his fingers over the stitches.

"Who taught you how to crochet?"

"A friend." Adrien wanted to gush at how great of a teacher Marinette was, and how crafty she was. He wanted to tell his father about Marinette's bin of gifts, and how she was clearly talented. He wanted to demand his father help Marinette's dream of being a fashion designer come true. Instead, he selfishly kept that all inside. He wished Marinette the greatest success in life, but he also felt the need to protect her from his father. It already hurt to have Gabriel dislike Nino; Adrien's best friend and surrogate brother. Adrien wasn't sure he could handle anyone disliking Marinette. It was enough that Chloé seemed to have a one-sided and unspoken rivalry with his friend.

"How long have you been working on this?" Gabriel kept turning the scarf over and over in his hands, but was careful to not lose the latest stitch.

"Not long." Adrien was torn between opening up so he could have an actual conversation with his father, and staying tight lipped because the man didn't deserve to learn anything about Adrien's life anymore.

"You're doing a wonderful job, your teacher should be proud." Gabriel tenderly handed the project back to his son and softly smiled.

"Thank you." Adrien numbly accepted his scarf back. He tried to process the compliment, and wasn't sure if it was aimed at him, at Marinette, or at both of them. Regardless, it was a compliment from his father. Adrien tried to soak in the moment.

"Your-" Gabriel tucked his hands behind his back as he walked closer to the fire; his eyes fixated on the portrait above it. "Your mother used to crochet. I guess she never got around to teaching you."

Adrien gaped at his project, then the painting of his mother, before his eyes darted back to his stitching. His mother used to crochet? She could have taught him? He now knew a skill his mother had?

"I don't remember her crocheting."

"She stopped long ago. I'm sure you're now well aware that it takes a great deal of time to make something from scratch like that. She loved you so much, and wanted to spend as much time with you as she could. She still crocheted a little while you were napping, and some more in the evenings while you slept, but as you grew older she didn't have as much time. When we decided to homeschool you she then focused on your curriculum. Eventually crocheting became a pastime she missed, and always wanted to go back to, but her priority was her family, and there wasn't enough time. I'm glad you could pick up the hobby in her stead. I'm sure she'd be happy to know you are enjoying it."

"Mom used to crochet." Adrien said it as part question, part affirming statement. He was connected to his mother again, and it was because of Marinette. She was able to do something his mother didn't have a chance to. Adrien ran his thumbs over the scarf, imagining what it would have been like if his mother was the one to teach him. They could have been sitting at the fireplace together. Just as how he sat on Marinette's chaise, he could have been tucked away in his chair while his mother was within arm's reach. They would sit quietly as they worked on their respective projects, but she'd be right there if he needed help.

Adrien's throat burned and his chest tightened as tears spilled from his eyes. He knew a Christmas gift for Ladybug was important to him, but he never imagined it would be this important.

"One of the last things your mother made was this runner." Gabriel gently brushed his fingers across a laced runner that draped across the fireplace mantle.

It was holly and mistletoe linked together in an intricate pattern Adrien couldn't fathom creating himself. He always admired the decoration, but he never realized his own mother was the one who crafted it. Adrien rested his scarf on the seat of the armchair before walking over to his father and taking in the detailing of the runner.

"She was really good."

Gabriel hummed agreement. He kept his face angled away from Adrien, but his son was pretty sure he saw the glisten of tears in his eyes. Clearing his throat again, Gabriel placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'll let you get back to your project. I'll also try to make it to dinner tonight." Gabriel turned, and started walking towards the door.

"Father?" Adrien froze for a second as his father looked over his shoulder at him. "Thank you, for telling me... about Mom."

Gabriel nodded before heading out of the dining room; leaving Adrien alone with the fire again.

~I~I~I~

Chat Noir tapped on Marinette's skylight, and knelt patiently for her to let him inside.

"Good evening, Chat Noir." Marinette wore her normal sweet smile, and Chat Noir couldn't resist responding in kind.

"I have something for you." Chat Noir pulled his hand out from behind his back, and offered Marinette a pink rose made out of artificial feathers. "A thank you, for everything you've been doing this week for me."

"Oh! Kitty, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to. That's alright, isn't it? I checked, and pink roses stood for friendship, and since it's made out of feathers it will never wilt or die. An ever-blooming friendship. That's us, isn't it?" Chat Noir's heart began to race as he talked. Marinette had grown to be such an important part of his life as Adrien, and in just a few days she had become equally important to his Chat Noir side. He couldn't bear for her to shoot him down; tell him they weren't really friends, she was just assisting a superhero.

He wasn't expecting the blush that bleed across her face. She quickly turned away and waved him inside.

"Come on, you silly cat, get in here already." She shifted on her bed so he could enter, and they climbed down to her floor. Marinette then shifted through a pile of boxes next to her vanity, and pulled out a small glass vase. She eyed it up before turning back to Chat Noir.

He awkwardly stood in the center of her room, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and even leaning his weight to the side of his foot. He twirled the feather flower across the pads of his fingers as his spare hand held the satchel of yarn behind his back. He hoped he didn't make Marinette feel awkward by offering her a rose, even if it did symbolize pure friendship.

"I'm sorry I didn't think to get you anything for Christmas." Marinette delicately took the rose from Chat Noir's hand, careful to keep her eyes on the pedals instead of his face. "To be fair, though, I didn't think I'd be socializing with a superhero just before the holiday." She tucked the long stem of the faux rose inside her newly found vase, then turned to the crafting station against her northern bedroom wall.

"Oh! No, it- I wanted to give you something to show my appreciation is all. It's not necessarily a Christmas gift, so that's fine. I get it." Chat Noir scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "Your gift to me could be teaching me how to crochet in the first place. In fact, I- well- it was a greater gift than I think we both realized."

Marinette stared at Chat Noir, her head tilted slightly. "A greater gift?"

"Yeah. Turns out someone really important to me used to crochet. So, now it's almost like we're together whenever I work on the scarf."

Marinette smiled, but didn't bother to respond. Instead, she pulled out a red box with simple buttons glued around it as decoration. She lifted the lid, revealing a sewing kit. In a flash she had a length of pink ribbon cut from a spool and wrapped around the neck of the vase. After she had the bow perfect she spun around to show it off to Chat Noir.

"There. I think the ribbon really helps showcase how lovely this rose is, don't you think?" She walked it over to her computer and rested it to the right of her screen, as if making sure it could get sunlight through the nearby window. "I'll probably have to move it later so the sun won't bleach some of the pedals, but I think it looks beautiful there. Don't you?"

"Paw-sibly. It does look purr-ty nice next to your computer." Chat Noir smirked. Marinette groaned.

"Don't make me regret hanging out with you."

"What? You can make cat puns, but I can't? Cat puns are sort of my thing." Chat Noir puffed up his chest and playfully swung his tail in one hand.

Marinette chuckled and pointed to the chaise.

"Just go work on your project. Silly kitty."

Chat Noir plopped onto the chaise, and draped the completed portion of his scarf across his lap. He quickly stitched the rest of the row he was working on before abruptly stopping.

"Hey, Marinette? Do you have a lot of gifts to still finish?"

She gathered up her jewelry wire, box of beads, bag of clasps, wire cutters, and jewelry pliers. Balancing it all, she held the pile up for Chat Noir to see.

"I'm working on Alya's gift tonight, and then I need to go back and decorate the pages for my Nonna's scrapbook now that the glue is dry on the photos. Otherwise, my night is fairly free. Why?"

"That important person to me who used to crochet? I saw a piece they made years ago. There were all of these different shapes used to make this lacy pattern. I know I probably don't have the time to learn how to make appliqués or anything like that, but a simple red scarf seems boring now."

Marinette walked over to Chat Noir, and sat at the foot of her chaise.

"It's not boring. That scarf is being made by hand, and by someone I'm positive Ladybug cares deeply for. It's great how you have it."

"But, what if I put stripes in, like this?" Chat Noir unzipped one of his pockets and pulled out a small piece of paper. Unfolding it with his thumb, he showed it to Marinette. A simple sketch of the red scarf was scribbled across the playing-card-sized paper. The drawing was broken up into three segments, with a set of three, thin, black stripes separating each third. As Marinette looked up from the design, Chat Noir held up his scarf to show he was about a third of the way done with his project.

"Do you have the black yarn?"

Chat Noir pulled a black skein from his satchel.

"Alright, but you're making another pot holder first, just so you can practice shifting between colors." Marinette walked over to her supply of yarn and crochet hooks. Grabbing four smaller balls of yarn, she poked two of them with a hook each.

"Thank you, Marinette. I should have brought you a whole bouquet of those roses!"

"Don't go overboard." Marinette handed one of the balls of yarn to Chat Noir, and started chaining with another one. In less than a minute she had a nice sized sample done up. Chat Noir took his offered yarn and hook, and raced to catch up with her sample.

"Okay, so this is tricky only because you have to make sure you keep the tension right. Watch me." Marinette leaned over Chat Noir's lap so he had a good view, then she took the tail of her second ball of yarn and stitched it into her project, switching from her original color. She worked a couple of rows to create a thick stripe, then she showed him how to switch back to the color she started with.

Chat Noir completely missed the original demonstration of how to switch colors. He was too focused on Marinette being so close to him again. His mind wandered to how she was with his civilian half, and tried to count when she was ever that comfortable being so close to Adrien.

It was a short list.

He did manage to re-focus by the time Marinette switched back to her original color, so he tried to imitate her. As Marinette had warned, it was trickier than it looked. The actual color switch was simple enough, but keeping the tension right so the edging looked straight proved to be a bit of a challenge. Marinette was patient, though. She showed him a few more times how to work in the new color, and how to tuck in the lose yarn to help keep the edges straight. About forty-five minutes later Chat Noir had another crocheted square with the striping the way he pictured it. Well, to an extent; he was still an amateur crocheter.

With his practice done, Chat Noir worked the black yarn onto the scarf. Marinette nodded approval as he stitched his first few rows before switching the color back to red. His heart echoed in his ears the whole time. He was terrified he was going to ruin the scarf; ruin the hard work he had spent two days on. He was nervous that the striping would slow him down too much and he wouldn't have the scarf done by Christmas. His hands shook a little. After two rows of red, he switched back to black. It seemed almost effortless that time.

"See? You did it perfectly!" Marinette gathered up her yarn and hooks to put them away as Chat Noir worked. "You're a natural at this. Whoever that important person of yours is, I'm sure they'd be proud of your work."

Chat Noir melted a little into Marinette's chaise. His father had said nearly the same thing. He wondered if his mother really would have been happy to watch him crochet, and if she would have agreed that he was talented. He muttered a soft "thank you" before falling into a warm silence.

Marinette let him work. She brushed her fingers gently across the soft feather petals of her new rose, before settling into her computer chair. She had her own gifts to finish.

The duo relaxed into the comforting quiet they had grown to love, as Christmas ticked another day closer.

* * *

 ****A/N: Gabe worked his way into this story... and apparently Emilie used to crochet. How do you guys feel about that? I was going to end with Adrien still in the dining room, left to work more on his scarf, but part of me knew I needed to swing back to MariChat goodness.**

 **Also, this story doesn't take either of the Season 3 episodes into consideration, so the pink rose may have been a nod to Papa Garou, but I'm ignoring that episode happened for this continuity.**

 **Anyway, thank you guys yet again for the love you're giving this story. It means the world to me. Love you all back!****


	4. The Proposition

****A/N: Gaaah, sorry this again took nearly a week to post. A simple Christmas-themed story that posts only once a week and lasts well into January, that's how these are supposed to work, right? Ironically, I ended up having the rest of the story more-or-less plotted out (minus one more minor plot point) before I knew what the heck I was doing with this chapter, which was part of the hold up. Oh well, at least the rest of the story is figured out. I also had the darnedest time editing this chapter... -_-**

 **I want to thank you all for the fantastic love for this story. The views, the reviews, and the faves/follows are all my life-blood. Thank you, a million times, thank you!****

* * *

 **\- THE PROPOSITION -**

Marinette glanced at her skylight for the fifteenth time in as many minutes. It had only been three days, but she had already gotten used to her evening visits from Chat Noir. Originally, she had planned on leaving the skylight open so he knew he could literally just drop in. However, the weather wanted to prove that it was the winter solstice. A wicked wind blew a freezing chill throughout Paris, finally bringing the cold everyone coupled with Christmas.

"It is frigid out," Tikki drifted into Marinette's field of vision; blocking the girl's view of her skylight. "And Chat Noir was close to finishing the scarf. Perhaps he just decided to stay home tonight."

"Maybe."

Marinette's cellphone buzzed as it vibrated across her desk; calling her attention from her window.

 _It will be re-framed tomorrow, and ready before the store closes on Christmas Eve. Otherwise my father will have something to say about it._

It kept a second for Marinette to switch gears in order to remember what the text was even referencing. Once it came to her she nearly fell out of her chair.

 _That is fantastic!_ she texted back. _Thank you for helping me do this. You are actually pretty amazing when you put your mind to it._

 _Well, of course! And what do you mean 'when I put my mind to it'?_

 _Sorry. Thank you, Chloe._

 _Yeah yeah, just lose my number after Christmas, alright?_

 _Consider it done._

Marinette sighed the tension from her chest. One less thing to worry about, and soon she could go back to not talking to Chloé more than she had to.

She rolled her computer chair over to the crafting station of her desk and kissed the framed picture of Adrien she kept there.

"Merry Christmas, Adrien. I hope you like it." She squealed with excitement and spun in her chair. As she came out of her spin she spotted the feather rose Chat Noir had given her the night before. She instantly sobered.

"Now what am I going to get him, Tikki?" Marinette ran her fingers over the soft pedals of the fake rose, letting the delicate feathers tickle her slightly.

"Chat Noir? I thought he said you could consider teaching him how to crochet your gift to him?"

"Yeah, but that was Marinette's gift. What am I going to give him as Ladybug?"

"Are you sure that's wise? Gifting him something when you know he's in love with you?"

Marinette wondered if it was even wise to agree to meet up with him in the first place, but she couldn't turn him down.

~I~I~I~

"Pound it!" Chat Noir and Ladybug fist bumped after she had cleansed Paris of the attacking akuma. Marinette had hoped the holiday season would bring a break from her hero work, but Hawk Moth seemed to be particularly determined during that week.

Each akuma attack felt harder to win, and each victim seemed even more distressed than usual by their troubles. The holidays were supposed to bring joy, but to a lot of Parisians, it brought an extra level of stress, and even depression as they missed loved ones. The most recent akuma victim fell into that latter category.

He was a man in his early sixties, who was struggling with his daughter and grandchildren all moving to Canada. They had purchased a plane ticket to fly him out for Christmas itself, but he still missed the family bonding they would do throughout the rest of the month: picking out the Christmas tree and decorating it, baking cookies together, touring the neighborhood to sing carols, and checking out the different light displays throughout Paris. On Winter Solstice, he would drive everyone out to the country so they could leave seed-covered pine cones and bagel halves for the forest animals to enjoy as they settled into a season of scarce food.

They were sweet tales, and Ladybug would have loved to continue hearing about the man's family traditions, but her earrings had already beeped three times, meaning there was barely two minutes left before she transformed back. She also felt nervous that the man's stories would upset Chat Noir if they listened for much longer.

" _My family doesn't really celebrate Christmas. Not anymore."_ He had confessed to Marinette, but it didn't stop her from feeling the pain of that statement while she was Ladybug. Although she couldn't let on that she knew, part of her wanted to hug her partner whenever she saw him.

"Those all sound like amazing traditions that your family cherishes," Ladybug cut off the man, "but sadly we have to get going. Have a good flight, though, and try to enjoy the holidays." Giving the man an apologetic look, she lassoed the spire of a nearby building.

The man gave a sorrowful nod, but then smiled slightly. "I will. Thank you both."

Trusting the man was going to be as free of negative emotions as he could be, considering the situation, Ladybug released the tension in her yo-yo, allowing it to slingshot her to the roof of the building.

"Merry Christmas." Chat Noir gave a wave as he used his stick to jettison himself up onto the same roof.

Ladybug's earrings beeped again. She was in her final minute, but before she could run off to a good hiding spot, Chat Noir blocked her with arms out to his side.

"Chat Noir, I'm going to transform back. I'm sorry, but I don't have time."

"It won't take long, M'lady. I promise." He lowered his arms and took a step forward. "I just wanted to ask you if we could meet up on Christmas, even for a moment or two."

"I- I don't think that's the best idea."

" _I really hope I can spend Christmas with Ladybug at least. Even for a few minutes."_ Again Chat Noir's words cut through Ladybug's thoughts. He had made it clear that he didn't really have anyone else. Could she really refuse him too?

"Please, Ladybug. It would mean the world to me. Whenever you want."

Ladybug was running out of time, but she couldn't leave Chat Noir abandoned like that. Her mind raced through her Christmas day schedule, trying to find a few moments she could steal away.

"It would have to be late. We could meet on the top of the Palais de Chaillot, that way we could enjoy the Christmas light display they put out for the Eiffel Tower. Say, around nine?"

"Nine is perfect!" His whole face lit up as he took a few steps back. He twirled his stick across his knuckles; low-key showing off, as always. Bouncing his stick off the back of his hand, he caught and extended it with one fluid motion. "Take care, M'lady. Until we meet again." With a half-bow, he extended his stick further, shooting himself into the Paris skyline again. After he left, Ladybug had just enough time to swing to an empty alley before de-powering.

~I~I~I~

Marinette shook her head, trying to bring herself back to reality. How could she show up to the Trocadéro empty handed when she knew he was gifting her a scarf? A scarf he was painstakingly working on for the past few nights?

"Gaaah, Tikki! What did I do?" she whined, and plopped face first onto her chaise. A minute later there was a tap on the circular window beside her.

"Hey! I thought that was my spot."

Marinette jumped at Chat Noir's muffled voice leaking through the glass. He sheepishly waved, and pointed to her balcony. She nodded, climbing up to meet him at her skylight.

"Come in, quickly. It's freezing out there." Marinette waved him in, and briskly vacated her bed so she could avoid the chill.

"You're telling me?" Chat Noir landed on her bed and hastily closed the window behind him. He then shuddered with a "brrr" as he pulled Marinette's comforter off her bed; wrapping himself with it.

"Oh, no, please, make yourself comfortable," Marinette teased with a cocked hip and crossed arms. Shaking her head and chuckling to herself, she gestured to her chaise. "Go on, take your spot. I'll be right back."

With barely a sound, Chat Noir hopped off her loft. After re-wrapping himself into a blanket burrito, he snuggled onto his normal spot.

"Silly kitty." Marinette shook her head again; scurrying down the stairs to the kitchenette area. Starting up a kettle, she swiped a box of powdered hot chocolate mix, a bag of baby marshmallows, and a spoon. She lined a tray with her plunder, poured the boiled water into a large thermos, and rushed everything up to her room.

"This should warm you up." Marinette pulled out two mugs she stashed by her desk earlier that day, and quickly filled them with the cocoa mix and water. After a few good stirs and a small handful of marshmallows, Marinette handed one of the mugs over to Chat Noir.

"Thanks, Marinette." Chat Noir accepted the beverage, but just sat with the mug warming his hands and the steam adding color back to his cheeks.

"You were pretty close to finishing your scarf." Marinette stared at the marshmallows dancing across the still spinning chocolate in her own mug. She hoped focusing on her cocoa would bring her a moment of zen-clarity, but instead her mind raced with possible gift ideas for Chat Noir; none of them right. "I'm sure you could have stayed warm inside tonight instead of trekking out here."

Silence echoed through the room. Both of them took long sips of their cocoa; neither looking at the other.

"I know you showed me how to fasten off and everything," Chat Noir finally ventured, "but I wanted to do so with you around to make sure I didn't mess it up. Plus, I-" Chat Noir took another long sip of his cocoa, ignoring the captured stare he was getting from Marinette.

"You?" She finally probed, the twinge of anticipation hanging in the air.

"I managed to set up the meeting with Ladybug on Christmas."

"Oh- okay? That's, uh, that's good. Right? So you could give her the scarf?" Marinette rattled off the chant _I'm so stupid_ in her head about a thousand times.

"What if she stands me up again, though? I had that rooftop picnic planned, and she never showed. What if she does the same to me on Christmas?"

Marinette felt like she was sucker-punched. It kept all she had to not tear up. Instead, she knelt beside her chaise, but kept her hands firmly wrapped around her mug of hot cocoa, letting the dying warmth anchor her. "She wouldn't do that to you again. Not after seeing how much it hurt you the first time. I! I mean, she said she'd meet you, right? You told me last time she warned you she might not make it. Did she warn you again this time?"

"No. She told me where and when we could meet."

"Then she'll show." Marinette gave him the warmest smile she could manage, and hoped he couldn't see her shaking. She still wasn't sure what she had done, agreeing to meet with him. She just knew he needed to see her on Christmas, and she couldn't forsake her poor lost kitten. Even so, Marinette wasn't certain it was the best decision.

"Yeah," Chat Noir muttered to himself. "Yeah," he repeated with more conviction, "Thank you, Marinette, for everything."

Marinette finished her cocoa in a gulp, then stood to place the mug on her desk.

"You already said that." She gestured to the rose still displayed by her computer.

"No, I mean, everything-everything. Not just teaching me how to crochet, but listening to me, giving me advice and encouragement, welcoming me into your home, and treating me like a normal person." He held up the mug of cocoa with his comforter-covered hand to accentuate his point.

"That's what friends are for, right?" A dull burn clogged Marinette's throat. She had no clue where the tightness even came from. She was in love with Adrien Agreste, and yet calling Chat Noir a friend literally hurt her.

"Alright, well, I should finish this then, huh?" Chat Noir put his emptied mug on the floor before shrugging the comforter off him. He pulled his nearly finished scarf from his satchel, and instantly started on the final few rows.

"You didn't get a chance to really work on it since last night, did you?" Marinette collected Chat Noir's mug; placing it next to hers on the desk.

"I've been- Things have been a bit busy. Akuma attacks and all that." Chat Noir didn't look away from his project, and his voice went up in pitch slightly, even though Marinette knew first hand that Hawk Moth had been keeping them on their toes all week. In fact, things had been so hectic she was surprised she found the time to finish most of her own Christmas gifts. Still, Marinette felt like Chat Noir was hiding something, but she couldn't pinpoint what, or why he would lie. He had never lied to her before; either side of her.

As Chat Noir reached the end of his project, Marinette made up two more mugs of hot chocolate. She studied him as he worked, hoping to find a clue as to what he was hiding. Not fathoming what it could be, she refocused on what Ladybug could give him for Christmas.

 _Maybe a scarf as well?_ she debated, _It would seem a bit unlikely that we both made scarves though, plus, it's not like he'd be able to wear it in public._

Chat Noir finished off his scarf with an encouraging nod from Marinette. After unburying his package of tapestry needles, and choosing the one Marinette pointed to, he took a sip from his second cup of cocoa, and started weaving in the loose ends of the yarn.

All the while, Marinette pondered gift ideas.

 _Maybe I could make him a little Chat Noir doll. Would it be weird to have a doll of himself? Should it be a Ladybug doll instead? Or would he appreciate someone acknowledging him enough to make him into a doll?_

She sipped away at her cocoa and tried not to stare, pretending to look things up on the internet while Chat Noir completed his project.

 _Maybe just hanging out with him would be good? We're superheroes and probably shouldn't be exchanging gifts anyway. And Ladybug shouldn't know about the scarf, so it's not like I'd know he's gifting me something._

Nodding to herself, Marinette decided that was what she was going to do. He needed companionship on Christmas; she could give him that. She'd have to make sure it didn't come across as romantic, but she could be the one to put together a rooftop picnic this time; a way to make him feel special. She could pack hot chocolate or tea, blankets to keep them warm, and maybe steal some Christmas cookies from her dad's stash. She could even write him a Christmas card to remind him how special he was to her, and how important he was to Paris' safety. That should be good, shouldn't it?

"Voilà! What do you think?" Chat Noir held up his completed scarf. It was beautiful, and well crafted, considering he was a beginner. He draped it around his neck, and then posed in front of Marinette's floor mirror to look it over.

"It's perfect. She'd be silly not to love it." A pang shot through Marinette's chest. It really was lovely, and it probably would look great draped across her Ladybug costume, but it wasn't practical for her to wear it while she was a superhero. She couldn't wear it as a citizen either. If Chat Noir found her with it, or found it on display in her room – assuming he was still going to visit after that night – he'd know she was Ladybug. Her mouth grew dry, and a sinking feeling weighted down her stomach as she realized the scarf would never be seen by anyone other than the two of them.

 _I should have just told him I couldn't help,_ Marinette yelled at herself for the millionth time that week.

"Alright," Chat Noir unwrapped the scarf from around his neck, and began delicately folding it to put into his satchel. "I should probably get out of your hair now. Thank you, one more time, for showing me how to make this. It means the world to me."

Marinette's voice caught for a second before she squeaked out, "Sure. Anytime."

"Thanks for the hot chocolate, too. Really warmed me up." He slung his bag over his shoulder, and gathered up her comforter to carry it back to her bed for her.

"You're- You don't have to leave already. You just got here."

"That's okay. You already gave up enough of your evenings helping me." Chat Noir straightened the comforter, keeping his back towards Marinette. Satisfied that the bed was well made once more, he reached up to unlatch the skylight.

"Wait!"

Chat Noir froze before letting go of the window and sitting like a cat perched on Marinette's bed.

"I- I mean, it's been nice hanging out with you. It wasn't a bother or anything. You can stay if you want. And- and you can come over on Christmas too." Marinette looked as shocked by her offer as Chat Noir.

"What I mean is," Marinette started flaring her arms around, "if your family doesn't really celebrate it, and if you get lonely. You- you could come over here, you know, to not be lonely anymore. I'm sure my parents would love to have you. But of course, that's only if you want to. I totally get it if you don't."

Chat Noir's whole body softened. Hurdling off her bed, he landed in front of Marinette, and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Thank you, Marinette."

"I hope you don't have to take me up on it." She pulled away from him and rubbed her left elbow. "I want you to have a nice time with your family, but I also want you happy. So- you're welcome here. Always."

Chat Noir smiled. "It's really sweet of you to offer, Marinette, and I appreciate it more than I can say. But I honestly should get going. I have a few more things I need to get ready before Christmas, and I'm sure you do too." He leapt back up onto her bed, but paused with his hands on the skylight. "You're amazing, I hope you know that."

"Thank you, Chat Noir. You are too, you know."

"Good night, Marinette." He left her with a smile, and vanished through her window.

Once Tikki trusted they were alone again, she popped out of her hiding place.

"Why did you invite him over for Christmas?" she squeaked.

"Because, Tikki, I don't want him to be alone at Christmas. Besides, if he's hanging out with me and my family here, maybe he'll get distracted and forget about his meet-up with Ladybug. I still don't know what I'm going to do with that scarf, but I do know I don't want to hurt his feelings again."

"I know you'll do the right thing when the time comes, Marinette."

"Thanks, Tikki. Now to figure out what that is."

* * *

 ****A/N: Coming up with gifts for Chat Noir is HARD, man! Luckily, a gift for Adrien was easier to figure out. Can you guys guess what it is? Or how Chloe is involved? *evil laugh* Coming up with titles for these chapters is equally hard! GAAAAH! TITLES! There are a lot of "off screen" happenings going on in this story, so it will be interesting to see how I can bring them to light. o_O** ******


	5. Both of Us

****A/N: Well, find somewhere comfy, kiddies, because this chapter just blew UP on me. I debated splitting it up since it became much more massive than I originally intended (roughly double my normal chapter size for this story), but I had gone far enough into the rabbit hole that I figured I might as well stop in Wonderland. So, that means you guys get an extra-long chapter. Whoo! There are time breaks, though, so you have some nice "commercial break" stopping points if you need to pause and do something else before finishing.**

 **The sad thing is I spent Sunday plotting out the rest of the story. This is clearly something I should have done from the beginning, but I just let the first 4 chapters sort of flow with only the vaguest idea of where I wanted to go with it. Now that I have a roadmap, I SHOULD be able to post every 3 or 4 days, assuming these characters behave themselves (they already aren't), and I show some sort of writing discipline. We'll see if I can pull it off...**

 **I also want to give a shout-out to Nkemmer777 for pointing out a rather amusing typo in my previous chapter (it has since been fixed). If you've caught any typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc. in my stories, please feel free to point them out (kindly) so I can fix them. I don't have a beta, and I greatly appreciate the extra set of eyes.****

* * *

 **\- BOTH OF US -**

"Alya, you're coming with me, right?" Marinette had her best friend on video call as she paced around her room. She believed Alya needed to see how stressed she was in order for the guilt to sink in.

"Of course, girl, I wouldn't leave my bestie hanging."

Marinette sighed the anxiety out of her lungs. She wasn't going to be alone when she did this. As a reflex, she glanced up at her skylight. Part of her hoped to see Chat Noir standing there. He was always her support when she was Ladybug. She needed that support in an hour.

"Besides," Alya continued, ignoring Marinette's random look at her ceiling, "free food and a chance to annoy Chloé? How could I miss an opportunity like that?"

Both girls laughed. _That's right_ , Marinette reminded herself, _Alya is my Chat Noir in my normal life. I've got the support I need. I can do this._

"Thanks, Alya. You're the best."

"Well, naturally." Alya winked with a chuckle. "Am I meeting you at your place or there?"

"Here, please. Make sure I don't chicken out."

"Em, this is for Adrien. You are _not_ going to chicken out, even if Chloé is involved." Alya tapped her chin and shrugged. "Alright, so you _may_ chicken out, especially when it comes to Adrien. I'll be there in forty."

"Thank you again." Marinette nuzzled the phone. It was the only way she could think of to simulate a virtual hug to her best friend.

"Alright, alright," Alya laughed. "Enough of that. See ya then."

"Yup. See ya."

They ended the call and Marinette plopped onto her chaise, half expecting another protest from Chat Noir. It was her chaise, and her bedroom, but in a few short days, it had definitely become his spot, and he was playfully protective of it. She already missed seeing him lounged across it; confining her to the less-comfortable computer chair.

"Stupid cat." She ignored the questioning look from Tikki. Marinette wasn't entirely sure herself what she meant. He had sought out Marinette Dupain-Cheng, crafter extraordinaire, in order to learn how to make a gift for Ladybug. That was it. He had finished his scarf, thanked her for her time, and vanished.

Why was Marinette fixating on this? A superhero shouldn't become friends with civilians. The whole point of secret identities was to protect friends, family, and other loved ones. A secret identity did nothing to protect someone if you showed a bond to them while you were in your superhero persona. True, she didn't need the protection, but Chat Noir didn't know that, and it was smart of him to try to distance himself again so she wouldn't become a target.

It was responsible and mature. The kind of thinking and professionalism Ladybug would have wanted from him.

Besides, how could she possibly miss him? Marinette, as Ladybug, saw Chat Noir every day that week, thanks to the endless akuma attacks. She had even seen him earlier that day when a woman, irritated with the commercialization of the holiday, became Mary Christmas, and proceeded to vaporize all the gifts in Paris.

If she had seen him literally hours before, why did Marinette hate that Chat Noir hadn't visited her room in the past two days? It made sense that he wasn't going to visit her anymore, even when she left him an open invitation. Either way, it was also her own fault that they weren't hanging out in the first place. Ladybug was very strict about her and Chat Noir not really socializing as superheroes, for fear of learning too much about the other and compromising their identities. As Ladybug, if she hadn't laid down that rule, they could have spent time together, and got to know each other as much as Chat Noir wanted.

It was dangerous that Marinette learned as much as she did about him in the four nights he had visited her civilian side. They were becoming too comfortable around each other, and he could have accidentally revealed himself to her. It was for everyone's safety that she became a nameless citizen to him again.

She still missed him though. After a stressful day of dealing with akuma attacks, or having to endure the annoyance that was Chloé Bourgeois, it was nice to be able to look forward to Chat Noir's visits. Their bonding as she taught him how to crochet was the highlight of each day that past week. She especially enjoyed the playful teasing and joking around she could do with him; things she always adored doing as Ladybug, but couldn't do as much anymore because she didn't want to lead him on.

She wasn't shy, awkward, clumsy Marinette when she was around Chat Noir. He didn't even know that part of her. With him, she could be Ladybug-Lite: self-assured, playful, and skillful. Just being near him gave Marinette the confidence to be better; the trust that she was more powerful and capable than she originally believed.

Alya was great emotional support, and Marinette was grateful that she'd be by her side, but Chat Noir was who Marinette truly needed that night. Alya made her believe she was fine the way she was; Chat Noir made her believe a better person was hiding just under the surface.

"I was stupid to think he'd come back after finishing his scarf." Marinette picked up her throw pillow and muffled a few screams behind it.

"I'm sure he has his reasons for staying away." Tikki hovered close to Marinette's ear to make sure her chosen could hear her. "He may still show up tomorrow, and he did say he had a lot of Christmas prep work to do, so he could just be busy. Everything will be alright."

"Yeah." Marinette slid off her chaise in a slumped pile on her floor. "I wish I could talk to him about Adrien's gift though. Maybe he would be able to tell me if it was a good idea."

"I think it's a brilliant idea, Marinette! I'm sure he'll love it."

"But what if his father won't let him keep it? What if everything was a waste of time? And he thinks I was inconsiderate for even thinking of giving it to him? He'll decide we can't be friends, and Chloé will hate me even more, since he'll be mad at her too. Then everyone in my class would hate me, and I'll be an outcast, and Adrien will never fall in love with me!"

"Marinette!" Tikki screamed as loud as she dared with Marinette's parents the floor below. "Calm down. I'm sure none of that will happen. Even if his father won't let him keep the gift, Adrien will appreciate the thought behind it, and the trouble you went through to get it for him."

"You really think so?"

Tikki gave a positive grunt as she nodded. "Now, go get ready so you're not late."

"Go get ready," Marinette numbly repeated. "Go get ready!" She jumped up and sprinted to her floor mirror to check herself over. She needed to get changed and fix her hair. Her parents were probably going to fuss over her heading out for an hour or so on Christmas Eve. How much time did she have before Alya was supposed to meet her?

Now in panic-mode, she zipped around her room, frantically trying to make herself look perfect. Meanwhile, Tikki hovered nearby, muffling her laughter.

~I~I~I~

"What is _she_ doing here?"

Marinette and Alya turned to catch Chloé jab a finger at the air in Alya's direction. Chloé's butler gave the duo quick, nervous glances while he kept his body firmly facing his mistress.

"You informed me that Miss Marinette was invited to tonight's party, and Miss Alya came along as Marinette's plus-one-"

"Plus one?" Chloé shrieked. "Tell me, Jean Louis, when did I ever tell you Marinette Dupain-Cheng had a plus-one?"

"Alright," Alya whispered in Marinette's ear, "this has already made it totally worth me coming here. Now to find the dessert table." Alya's retreat was instantly stopped by Marinette's death grip on her arm.

"I'm going to ask again," Chloé stormed over to her classmates, and pointed at Alya with the fervor of a hunting dog pointing out prey. "What is she doing here?"

Furrowing her brows, Alya slid her cell phone out of her back pocket, and waved it at Chloé. " _She's_ here to make sure you follow through with your promise. Remember, I have proof that this whole thing was Marinette's idea, and I have no problem showing it to Adrien."

"This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloé huffed as she crossed her arms and turned her head abruptly away from them. "I'll have you know that I am very trustworthy."

"Uh-huh," Alya cocked both an eyebrow and a hip.

"Guys!" Marinette stood between them, her arms out to make sure they stayed separated. She was beginning to regret bringing Alya along. The last thing she needed was to make Chloé mad enough to back out of their deal. If she did that, then Marinette wouldn't have anything to give Adrien.

She focused on Alya, trying to restrain her best friend's mama-bear tendencies, "I'm sure the videos are unneeded. Chloé promised that Adrien would know the gift was from both of us, and if Ladybug could trust her to be Queen Bee, then I'm sure we can trust her to keep her promise."

"That's right!" Chloé puffed out her chest; her back a tad straighter. "I'm a superhero that helped save Paris. While all you do is write about superheroes. Clearly Ladybug trusts me more than you."

Marinette threw both hands in front of Alya to hold her back, her eyes pleading for Alya to not make things harder for her. Secretly, Marinette prayed that Alya wouldn't blurt out that she was Rena Rouge, the third member of the Miraculous team, and the one called upon first when Ladybug and Chat Noir were over their heads.

Thankfully, Alya managed to choke down her rage, pulling back from Marinette and relaxing her stance. She knew the truth, and she must have decided that was enough. She didn't need approval from Chloé Bourgeois.

"Um," Marinette kept herself between the two girls as she turned back to Chloé. "Is- is Adrien here already?"

"No, but he should be soon." Chloé softened as well; the confrontation won in her mind. "I guess you _both_ might as well come along. You need to be there when I give Adrien his present, but then I want you two gone. Got it?"

"Sure." Marinette stepped beside Alya; linking their arms to once more become a united front. "Thank you again, Chloé, for helping with this."

"Yeah, yeah," Chloé waved her off. "Don't mention it. I'd do anything for my Adrikins." She led them towards the elevators, escorting them to the party in the main ballroom of her father's hotel.

"I can't believe I let you make such a deal with the devil," Alya spat softly.

"She's really not _that_ bad." It hurt Marinette to take the high road, but Miss Bustier was right, maybe Chloé just needed to see what kindness looked and felt like. "She's showing she's trying, right? And Ladybug _did_ trust her enough to give her a second chance to be Queen Bee, even after how disastrous it went the first time. She then managed to prove herself enough for Ladybug to include her as an ally when Hawk Moth took over Hero's Day." It wasn't the full story, but it was true enough to get her point across.

"Yeah," Alya relented, "I guess. Still, if you want me to show Adrien the footage of you brainstorming this gift with Chloé-"

"It won't be needed. Really. As long as he's happy."

"You're too much, Marinette." Alya pulled her into a tight hug.

"Are you two coming, or what?" Chloé rested her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot. To accentuate that she was done waiting, she made a show of her pressing the button for the elevator.

"Sorry, coming!" Marinette jogged over to Chloé; a slightly harder task than normal in the heels she had picked. They were only a few centimeters high, but Marinette was so used to flats that the slight elevation threw her already wobbly balance off further.

Marinette reached the elevator just as the door opened. Chloé marched inside, sharply turned, and stood with her back against the far wall. Alya and Marinette followed with more casual strides, before Chloé's butler entered and pressed the button for the floor they wanted.

The door sealed closed, and Chloé instantly descended upon Marinette with dead seriousness. "Remember who was able to get this for you. If anything, I put more effort into this gift than you did, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, so don't go claiming that it was all from you either, understand?"

"Whoa! Back off!" Alya looked like she was about to throw a punch, but Marinette stayed her with a simple, raised hand.

"Chloé," Marinette kept her voice even and soothing. She realized in that moment how much this gift for Adrien meant to Chloé as well. She was probably embarrassed that she hadn't thought of it herself; jealous that this was something Adrien had shared with Marinette instead of with someone who had known him nearly his whole life. "I really would have never been able to pull this off without you. I promise, Adrien will know how much you did for him." Despite Marinette's best instincts, she gently touched Chloé's arm to prove her sincerity.

Chloé huffed as the elevator doors opened. She pushed past her classmates, and strutted into the ballroom.

"Adrien can't get here soon enough," Alya muttered.

Marinette nodded, but calmly followed Chloé out into the room. Adrien would love the gift, and the smile on his face would make every minute she had to spend with Chloé worth it.

~I~I~I~

Marinette pulled on the hem of her skirt for the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

"Will you stop fidgeting?" Alya held out a petit four as she popped a second one in her mouth.

"What if Adrien isn't coming?"

"He's coming."

"What if his father won't let him out of the house again?"

"Chloé says he's coming, and if there's one thing I trust when it comes to Chloé Bourgeois, it's her knowledge of Adrien's whereabouts. She's nearly as bad as you." Alya playfully nudged Marinette with her hip.

Marinette smoothed the front of her top, tugging on that hemline as well. She was feeling silly, dressing up for a party she wasn't even staying at. It was Christmas Eve, though, and she was going to see Adrien. She figured the holiday and the fancy party could be her excuse to look nicer for him. Maybe then he could see her as more than just his friend.

She had picked a fitted, cranberry-red, long-sleeve top, and a knee-length white skirt with three layers of tulle. Sequins shone through from the middle layer, making it almost look like falling snow across the black tights that covered her legs. Her heels were simple, and matched her top. Instead of her normal purse, she made a white one with blue dots across it; giving it a generic look that also had a winter feel to it. She felt festive in her outfit, and thought she looked fairly mature in it as well. She just wished she hadn't picked something with so many tulle layers. She kept fearing they would tangle on themselves and creep up her legs, so she couldn't resist tugging at the many layers to make sure they were all flat and still down to her knees. Marinette began calculating how quickly she could race home to change.

"Adrikins!" Chloé zipped through the crowd, leaping onto Adrien as he came out of the elevator, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. He had grown accustomed to the greeting, and only wobbled slightly under the unexpected weight.

Alya grabbed Marinette's shoulder; holding her back while simultaneously calming her down. Marinette mentally counted to ten, watching as Adrien leaned forward to try to lower Chloé onto her feet, kissed each of his childhood friend's cheeks, and then pulled away before Chloé could cling onto him any longer.

The move didn't work, as she instantly went for his arm, latching on tight enough to pull him slightly to his right.

"Adrikins, I'm so glad you were able to make it." Chloé began to escort Adrien out to the dance floor, avoiding the dessert table Alya and Marinette were huddled beside.

"Nah-uh!" Alya grabbed Marinette's wrist, and dragged her as she stomped out to block Chloé's path. "Oh, hi, Adrien." Alya bit out the words, challenging Chloé to ignore them any longer.

"Alya?" Adrien didn't seem to notice Chloé's snarl as he tried to comprehend Alya standing there. "And, Mar-" Adrien's voice caught as his eyes quickly scanned her new outfit. "Marinette? Wow! That outfit looks great on you. Did you design it?"

"I-uh." Marinette looked down at her skirt, again playing with the tulle to make sure it was laying flat.

"She does look amazing, doesn't she?" Alya elbowed Chloé away from Adrien.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize Chloé invited you two as well. I would have brought your gifts. Oh! Speaking of." Adrien turned back to Chloé, who was simmering behind Alya. He held out a small circular tin with holly leaves and berries decorating the cover. "Merry Christmas, Chloé."

Smirking at Alya and Marinette, Chloé accepted her gift and popped the lid off the tin.

"Macarons?" They were vanilla and dark chocolate, lined within the tin to look like the black and white striping of Chloé's shirt.

"Yeah. I remembered what Marinette's dad taught us when you invited him over. I thought you'd appreciate me gifting you something homemade, and also something I learned the night you proved to me that you're capable of being nice." Adrien held up his pinkie as he softly smiled at Chloé.

Marinette wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, Adrien had made Chloé treats for Christmas. Didn't that mean he truly cared for her? Maybe more than Marinette had originally realized? On the other hand, he did make Chloé something Marinette's dad had taught them, so she felt a little proud of that. Besides, she didn't know what he had given the rest of his friends. Maybe he made themed macarons for all of them.

Chloé wrapped her pinkie around Adrien's, and gave him a small smile back. "I absolutely love them, and I'm sure they will taste spectacular. Thank you, Adrien." She gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Speaking of gifts," Alya butted in, "I guess I could give you mine." She pulled a thin envelope out of her pocket and offered it to Adrien.

He accepted and quickly ripped open the seam. Inside was a card with a lame Christmas pun that he laughed a bit too hard at, and a slip of paper that looked familiar to Marinette. The stylized _T_ and _S_ in the corner was definitely the logo she created for her parents' bakery.

"A baking lesson?" Adrien's eyes lit up, and Marinette's jaw unhinged.

"Kind of perfect, right? I was _not_ expecting you to lead with homemade macarons, but I guess that just means I got a gift you'll actually use, huh? Nothing better than to learn from the greatest baker in all of Paris."

Marinette was dumbfounded. Alya managed to give Adrien a gift that would remind him of Marinette, and it would be an excuse for him to come to her house. She could even help with the lesson! Marinette began to daydream of her hands interwoven with Adrien's as she taught him how to properly knead dough, or they could playfully wipe icing on each other's noses as they decorated cookies together, or he could make a mini wedding cake as he proposed to her and-

"Marinette?" Adrien called out her name a couple more times before it registered.

"Sorry! What was that?" Marinette straightened her skirt yet again; anything to keep her hands busy.

"I said Alya's gift was awesome, and asked if you had any suggestions on what I should learn."

"Oh, well, I mean, you could never go wrong with-"

"You think Alya's gift was awesome?" Chloé held her hand over her head and snapped three times. Her butler zipped to her side and elegantly bowed.

"Yes, mademoiselle?"

"Jean Philip, Adrien's gift, and be careful with it."

The four stood in awkward silence as the butler scurried off to fetch the reason they were all there. Marinette wasn't positive, but she thought Adrien glanced over at her whenever she adjusted her skirt or the hemline of her shirt. It made her fidget with both all the more frequently; only stopping with Alya smacked Marinette's hand away from her outfit.

Chloé's butler returned with a large, thin, rectangular gift. It was roughly sixty-five centimeters by ninety-five; slightly taller than half Adrien's height. As the butler handed the gift over, Adrien's jaw fell.

"Chloé, what did you do?" Adrien stared at the reflective silver wrapping paper, turning the gift over in his hands as he took it all in.

"Well-" Chloé chirped, but then her gaze flicked towards Marinette for a second. "What I mean to say is-" She deflated slightly before weakly gesturing towards her nemesis. "This gift is from both me _and_ Marinette." She spat out Marinette's name as if it pained her.

"Wait!" Adrien nearly dropped his gift. "You-? You and Marinette? You worked together? To get me this?" His eyes darted between the two girls. Chloé huffed, and Marinette dug the toe of her right shoe into the marble flooring.

"Well, it-" Chloé's jaw tensed, "It was her idea to get this for you." She couldn't keep eye contact with Adrien.

"Yes, but," Marinette rushed in, "I wouldn't have been able to pull it off if it weren't for Chloé. She's the one who actually went out of her way to track it down for you." She rested a hand on Chloé's shoulder and offered her a small smile. "She's the one who made this gift possible."

"Wow. I- I don't know what to say." The gift was all but forgotten, rested on the floor against Adrien's leg as he smiled at the girls.

"How about you open it first?" Alya joked, drawing Adrien's attention back to his still wrapped gift.

"Right! Sorry." He quickly tore the paper off a movie poster within an elegant black matte frame. The poster was in black and white. The word _Solitude_ was written in large, blocky letters down the left side of the poster. The right half was filled with an extreme close-up of the side of Emilie Agreste's face, looking up to the sky, eyes closed as if she were expecting rain.

Adrien's hands began to shake, and Marinette took a step back, afraid she had screwed up.

"You-" Adrien choked down a sob. His eyes had the glint of tears pooling. "How did you two-?"

"Well," Chloé's voice broke as well. "Marinette said your mother was in a movie produced by my father, and she told me how you tried to watch it the day that giant gorilla akuma attacked. She thought it would mean a lot to you to have something from the movie."

Marinette gaped. Chloé Bourgeois actually gave her all of that credit without Alya's threat. She rattled her head to try to re-catch her bearings.

"Honestly," she offered, "I couldn't find anything for the movie. It was such a small independent film there was virtually nothing online about it. I knew, since it was produced by Chloé's dad, that she was the only one who could find you something. She spent the past week looking for this poster and getting it cleaned up for you."

Adrien used the back of his hand to wipe his eyes dry, then ran his fingers over his mother's face.

"I can't believe you guys thought to do this for me."

Chloé gently brushed Adrien's shoulder to catch his attention. "I know how important a mother is."

Adrien wrapped an arm around Chloé and pulled her into a tight hug, the poster resting against his leg again. "Thank you," he whispered just loud enough for Marinette to hear it too.

She choked down a knot, and Alya wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her from behind.

"You did that," Alya whispered. "You were the one who thought of getting him something from the movie."

"Yeah. I'm glad he liked it." Then there was a switch that went off in Marinette's head. "Oh! Adrien, is- are you going to be- How is your father going to feel about the poster?"

"My father?" He looked down at the poster before giving her a questioning look.

"Well, I mean, after you had to sneak out to watch the movie in the first place-"

"Oh! No-no. It's fine. He was actually waiting for me in my room after the Gorizilla attack. He had the movie queued up for us to watch together, and we had a talk about everything. We're good now. Sorry I never told you."

"That's alright. I'm just glad you two were able to bond like that."

Adrien passed his gift to Chloé, and then walked over to Marinette. He wrapped his arms around her, and gently pressed her against his chest. It wasn't the tight cling he shared with Chloé. This one was a soft, sweet, embrace. Marinette nearly melted within his arms. It reminded her of their slow dance in that very same room.

"You two are just amazing, you know that right?" Adrien pulled away from Marinette; addressing her and Chloé.

"And I'm chopped liver back here?" Alya teased.

"No! I loved your gift too!"

Alya laughed and waved him off. "I'm just teasing. I knew the poster was going to win Christmas for you this year." She held out her fist, and Adrien bumped it. His eyes lingered on the ladybug and reporter-themed charm bracelet dangling off Alya's wrist.

"Well, this was all very lovely," Chloé handed the poster back to Adrien before shooing Alya and Marinette, "but these two really need to get going. Don't you?"

"You have to leave, already? But I just got here." Adrien's shoulders slumped; his eyes drifting between the two girls, but focusing mostly on Marinette.

"Uh, yeah," Marinette nodded, although she desperately wanted to stay with him. "It is Christmas Eve, and my parents have a lot to finish up with everyone's Christmas treats. I should head home to help."

"And it is basically impossible to get the twins to bed on Christmas Eve, so Nora and I take turns as sentries so the rest of the family can finish wrapping gifts." Alya rolled her eyes at the thought of her family's unofficial tradition.

"Well, thanks again for the gifts. I'll be sure to bring you yours as soon as I can."

"No worries. Enjoy the party, and merry Christmas." Alya gave him a quick hug goodbye before sprinting to the dessert table to make up a to-go bag within a large paper napkin. Chloé raced after her to try to stop the treat thieving.

"It was really cool what you did, Marinette." Adrien blushed slightly.

"Like I said, it was mostly Chloé finding it. She told me her parents had it and a bunch of other odds and ends from the movie in a storage closet. Her mother was apparently very excited to get rid of it and clear up the space a little."

"No, I mean, that you went to her in the first place. I know you two don't get along very well, but it's super awesome that you're trying to see the good in her. It means a lot to me, and I'm sure it means more to Chloé than she'll ever let on."

"Oh! That! Well, I- I just wanted you to have something to remind you of your mom. I know it must be rough around this time of year, especially after seeing Chloé get her mom back."

"You're such a good friend. Thank you."

Chloé quickly shooed Alya and Marinette out the door as Marinette said her farewells to Adrien. She had hoped for more time with him, but the few minutes she had made her whole evening. Nothing could make that Christmas more special for her.

~I~I~I~

"Marinette, could you get the door, please? Your father and I are covered in flour."

"Sure, Mom." Marinette was still walking on a cloud, even hours after returning from Chloé's party. She hated the idea of getting changed out of an outfit Adrien liked so much, so she had offered to sweep down the store front and reset the display cases. Meanwhile, her parents were in the back, finishing up the last of the dough needed for the Christmas bread firing the next morning.

"A-Adrien!" Marinette squeaked as she opened the door. "Wh- what are you doing here?"

"Sorry, is it too late?"

"No. No, come in." She opened the door further and gestured for him to enter.

"I can't really stick around, but I did want to make sure to drop off everyone's gifts tonight so you have them in time for Christmas." He held out a small box on his palm.

Marinette gingerly accepted. "Thank you, Adrien. This is really sweet of you. Do you mind- could I open it now?"

"Actually, yeah. I'd love for you to open it now."

Trying to hide her blush, Marinette tore through the wrapping, and found a small, white, cardboard box. A box jewelry usually came in. Her mouth ran dry and her chest burned. She removed the lid, and saw a silver feather charm attached to a short chain.

"It's like the feather in the hat you made for my father's design competition." Adrien beamed as he pointed to the charm. "I figured it could commemorate the first piece of fashion you ever had on a runway. One of many, I'm guessing, especially after seeing Chloé's mom's reaction, and seeing that outfit." He gestured to the skirt Marinette was still wearing.

Marinette knew her cheeks now matched her shirt, so she kept her face turned down, taking in every detail of the silver feather charm.

"Do you like it? I know it's not as special as me making something like I did for Chloé, but-"

"I love it!" Marinette pressed the box to her chest. "It's perfect. This will always be more special to me than you could know. Thank you, Adrien."

"It's not as amazing as what you did for me." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, a blush starting to bleed onto his cheeks as well.

"Marinette? Who's at the door?" Marinette's mom called from the bakery.

The spell between them broken, Adrien bowed at his shoulders before taking a step back out the door. "I should probably get going. My father is probably already panicking about how long I've been gone. Merry Christmas, Marinette."

"Gary Missmiss, I- I mean, Merry Christmas, Adrien." As soon as the door was closed, Marinette collapsed against it.

"What a thoughtful gift," Tikki cooed from her hiding spot inside Marinette's white purse. "And I told you he'd love yours."

Marinette gently brushed her fingertips across the feather charm before pulling it out of the box. The chain was small enough for the feather to be a cellphone charm, like Alya's ladybug icon. Instead, Marinette hooked it onto the black strap of her purse, the feather dangling delicately down the side.

It was the second gift she got that week with feathers as a theme. She hoped Chat Noir was enjoying his night as much as she had enjoyed hers.

* * *

 ****A/N: Whoo! What a ride, right? I hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter. Sorry about that terrible akuma name, but it DOES seem about par with some of them. I mean... Sandy Claws? Are we in _The Nightmare Before Christmas_? Anyway, we're finally getting to our gift exchanges, so expect every chapter from here-on-out to focus on that. Speaking of, did anyone manage to guess what Chloe and Marinette were giving to Adrien? What do you guys think? Worth the frenemies working together?**

 **I'd also like to give a shout out to my friend Wolfhearted. I was drawing a complete blank as to what Adrien could gift Marinette that showed a deep bond, but also seemed fairly platonic. He was the one who came up with the silver feather charm idea. I instantly loved it! It was just too perfect, and now I hope Adrien canonically gives her something like it.**

 **Hope to see everyone again either Sunday or Monday, depending on how my weekend pans out. We're at the home stretch now.****


	6. Bonded

****A/N: This chapter probably should have been done and published last night, but it was a rough one for me. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but I kept avoiding writing this. You'd think I'd be all gung-ho with just this and one other chapter (and an epilogue) left. I kept procrastinating with games, working on my own crocheting, and hovering around Tumblr. The bits I did write I wasn't happy with and had to re-write them about five times.**

 **I'm satisfied with this chapter now. I'm just sorry it kept so long to get it to a place I'd be proud of. A place worthy of this story. Just one (two-ish) more chapters left!****

* * *

 **\- BONDED -**

"Welcome home, Adrien." Nathalie stood like a statue in the center of the atrium. Her hands were tucked behind her back, but Adrien suspected they were holding a tablet, as per usual for her. "I hope the party was enjoyable, and that your friends appreciated the gifts you brought them?"

"Actually, yes, for both." Adrien freely grinned. It had been a lovely Christmas Eve so far; almost like it was when his mom was still around. Thanks to Marinette and Chloé, she was still around, at least in part.

"What's that?" Nathalie nodded towards the framed movie poster Adrien's bodyguard carried in behind his charge.

"It's-" Adrien had a talk with his father after the Gorizilla incident. He was sure it was fine to have this treasure from his mother's past, but he still feared that Nathalie would have it taken away, so as to not upset her boss. Swallowing his nerves, he gestured for the Gorilla to turn it around so Nathalie could see. "It's my mother's movie poster."

Nathalie's eyebrows raised slightly, but the rest of her face stayed annoyingly blank. "Very well. Please let me know if you need assistance hanging it in your room."

"Really?" Adrien sprinted to Nathalie, and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you! I will!" He charged up the stairs before she changed her mind, waving the Gorilla to hurry behind him.

Thanking his bodyguard for carrying the poster for him, Adrien gently closed his bedroom door closed. His eyes scanned his room for the perfect wall space. Someplace where his mother would be visible from just about anywhere in his room. Someplace where the poster would be safe. His north wall had his bathroom door, his line of video game cabinets, and the spiral steps to his lofted second floor. No space there. He didn't want his mom hung up above the video games. The eastern wall was nothing but windows. His basketball hoop and rock climb covered his southern wall, but his western wall already had fencing shields, trophies, and computer monitors.

"Where am I going to put you, Mom?" Adrien ran his fingers across his mother's face as he did another visual lap around his room. There had to have been a spot she could go.

"Son?" Gabriel knocked on the northern bedroom door, but entered without waiting for a response.

"Father!" Adrien jumped, nearly dropping his treasured gift. "Merry Christmas. I wasn't expecting to see you today. I thought you'd be busy finishing last minute business stuff."

"Well, it is nine at night. There isn't anyone left in the offices. Besides, Nathalie informed me you received a very unique gift that I might also be interested in." He drooped his shoulders slightly, and relaxed his back. He even let hints of a smile tug at the corners of his mouth; anything to appear welcoming, instead of the intimidating authority figure looming over his son that he normally was.

Adrien pressed the poster against his chest, awkwardly hugging it as he walked over to his bed. Taking a breath, preparing himself for the worst – that his father was going to take the poster from him - Adrien laid it across his mattress.

Gabriel closed the gap between him and his son, looking around Adrien so he could see the poster. With a sharp inhale, Gabriel rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder; mostly to keep himself standing. His eyes scanned every inch of the poster, and traced the silhouette of his wife's face. Caving to his grief, he allowed himself to drop to his knees, so the poster was about level with his chest. Just as Adrien had been doing for most of the night, Gabriel brushed his hand across the poster, as if he were cradling Emilie's cheek.

"Where did you get this?" Even through the sorrow drenching Gabriel's words, an edge still cut through.

Adrien took a step back, unsure how to respond. After Marinette voiced her concern, he had grown anxious about his father's reaction to the movie poster, but he never expected seeing his father so vulnerable.

"It was a gift. Marinette and Chloé worked together to-"

"Marinette? As in Marinette Dupain-Cheng? That budding fashion designer who won the derby hat contest?" Gabriel was genuinely intrigued by the prospect, his face softening further.

"Yes, sir. She-" Adrien didn't want to get Marinette in trouble by voicing something he was fairly certain his father already suspected, but he also wanted to make sure his father knew why she picked this specific gift. "She was the one who helped me sneak to the theater to watch Mom's movie that day."

Gabriel caressed the movie poster one last time before standing up and straightening his vest and ascot. "She was quite clever to have recruited Miss Bourgeois' help in getting the poster. It was also very sweet of your friends to do this for you." He picked up the poster and held it out to Adrien. "Where are you hanging it in here?"

"In here?" Adrien wasn't sure he heard correctly. His father was going to let him keep the poster? He wasn't going to try to hide it from him, or force him to hang it somewhere everyone could see it? Or attempt to hang the movie poster in his atelier, where he could see it every day, but Adrien would rarely get the chance?

"But of course, Adrien. It was a Christmas gift to you, and it is your mother. Unless, of course, you wanted to hang it somewhere else?"

"N-no. No, here's fantastic. I just don't-" He scanned his walls once more. This time he noticed the wall beside his bed. It was technically the side of his skate ramp, but he rarely used it anymore. Even if he did, neither he nor the skateboard would be able to hit the side of the ramp facing his bed; not with the second story loft blocking it.

It was perfect. His mother could be by his side as he went to bed, and one of the first faces he'd see in the morning. He also tended to sit on his bed when he was feeling down, and so the movie name – _Solitude_ – only seemed all the more appropriate hung there. He walked over to the wall and held the poster about where he would hang it.

"What about here?"

"It looks fantastic there. I'll send your bodyguard up so he can hang it for you." Gabriel walked up to Adrien, and pulled him into an embrace. His fingers ran through his son's hair, ruffling it slightly, as he did when Adrien was younger. As Emilie used to do with both of them.

Adrien wasn't sure how to respond, but he inhaled the affection as he wrapped an arm around his father to hug him back. His other arm pressed his poster against his leg; keeping it safe.

"Your mother would be proud of the friends you picked." Gabriel straightened, but rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"Are you proud?" Adrien squinted at his father, challenging him to say something ill of his friends. It wouldn't matter, he still hung out with Nino even after his father claimed he was a poor influence.

"You are a greater judge of character than I originally thought. You have indeed surrounded yourself with positive people. People who truly care for you. I'm glad you found that."

Adrien was again stunned. His father was acting more and more like how he was years ago; back when they had the family portrait done of all three of them. In his silence, his father walked around the skate ramp and opened the bedroom door.

"Oh, and Adrien?" Gabriel poked around the ramp just enough to catch his son's eye. "Goodnight, son."

"Goodnight, Father." Adrien wasn't sure he spoke loud enough for his father to hear him until the man nodded and exited the room. He could barely catch his breath; dumbfounded by everything that happened in the past few hours. As he waited for the Gorilla to come back with a nail and hammer, Adrien glanced out his wall of windows. Staring at the night sky, he hoped Ladybug was somewhere enjoying her Christmas as much as he was.

~I~I~I~

Adrien woke up before the alarm on his phone went off. His room was dim, the winter sunlight just peeking through his windows. He rolled over to his right side, and took in the movie poster recently hung there.

"Good morning, Mom, and merry Christmas." Even with his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could barely make out the shape of his mother's face on the poster. It didn't matter. He was just glad that she was there, and imagined she would be downstairs by the tree, waiting for him to come stampeding down to open presents.

He missed the feel of his mother's arms wrapped around him, and the sound of her laugh. It was normally very dainty and subtle, but there were times where she'd give a great, deep, belly laugh, and it would start off harsh and abrupt like a blare of a trumpet. He could only vaguely hear it in his memories, if he pictured one or two prominent ones as best he could. His chest tensed, and his eyes stung.

"Adrien?" Plagg poked his head out from under Adrien's covers. "You okay?" His voice was soft, with a faint squeak to it, instead of his normal gravelly playfulness.

"Yeah." Adrien wiped his eyes dry and slid out of bed. "I just miss my mom is all." He stepped over to one of his cabinet drawers, and pulled out Ladybug's scarf he had tucked towards the back. He ran his thumbs over the stitches, taking in the texture of each row. His mother used to crochet as well, and now she could watch over him from beside his bed. She was still with him. He couldn't hear her, or feel her embrace, but she was always with him.

Folding the scarf up delicately, he tucked it back in the drawer. He would have to package it later, but for the time being, he loved having it available for him to hold and look at whenever he needed. It was supposed to be Ladybug's reminder that she was loved, but it became more. It became his way of remembering that he was connected to his mom. It made the gift all the more important to him, and all the more meaningful when he would give it to the love of his life.

Feeling better, Adrien padded over to his bathroom to freshen up. A few minutes later, he came back out, wearing a fuzzy flannel robe and warm slippers. He held one of the pockets open for Plagg, and then headed out of his bedroom.

The atrium was bright with the morning sun flooding the white marbled room. The Christmas tree stretched all the way up the stairs; the star eye-level with Adrien as he exited his room. Simple silver garland, white lights, and pearled Christmas balls the size of small coconuts wrapped down the proud pine. Adrien's father was already seated in an armchair that was moved to the foot of the tree. He was in ivory satin pajamas with a button-down top. Nathalie, already dressed for the day, stood behind Gabriel, and Adrien's bodyguard, who was also in his normal suit, waited for him at the base of the stairs; grinning up at his charge.

"Merry Christmas, Adrien."Gabriel welcomed his son, and Nathalie parroted the greeting.

"Merry Christmas, everyone." Adrien smiled at the Gorilla, who patted him on the shoulder, and escorted him around the stairway banister to the other armchair nestled beside the tree. "I wasn't expecting everyone up already."

"I figured it would be nice to be up early, exchange gifts, and then we could get dressed before starting Christmas brunch." Gabriel looked over his shoulder, and Nathalie scurried around to the tree in order to scoop up some of Adrien's gifts. She then piled them at the foot of Adrien's chair before skirting back around Gabriel's seat. This time, though, she sat along the left arm of the chair.

Despite Adrien's insistence, his bodyguard remained protectively standing sentry behind his chair. Assuming everyone was as comfortable as they were going to get, Adrien began opening his gifts. Most of them were the standard fare: clothes, a fountain pen, some video games and movies, a basketball to replace his well-worn one, and a few novels.

Intermixed within the stack were two gifts not from his father: one from Nathalie; one from his bodyguard. Nathalie's gift was about as large as the poster he got the night before, but the box was roughly fourteen centimeters thick. Careful to keep it balanced across his legs, Adrien pulled the lid off the cardboard box, and riffled through seven sheets of tissue paper before finding an assortment of photo displays: a digital frame that could flip through thousands of pictures, a fabric-wrapped board with diamond-crossed ribbons that could hold physical pictures in place, and a meter-long clothesline-like string with lit-up clothespins; perfect for lighting his favorite prints.

"You've been quite active with your class and your friends. I figured this way you could start properly displaying some of those memories. I could even show you how to use an old Polaroid camera if you'd like." It was one of the few times Adrien saw Nathalie smile, and he couldn't help but return it.

"Thanks, Nathalie. This is really cool!" He slid the padded picture board out from under the other pieces of his gift, and remembered the one Marinette had beside her bed. _Maybe she could help me pick out some good shots to display,_ he thought.

The gift from Adrien's bodyguard was in a long card envelope, much like Alya's had been. Adrien wondered if the Gorilla also bought a gift certificate to the Tom & Sabine Bakery. Instead, there were five amusement park tickets. Stunned, he whipped around to his faithful guardian, who simply patted Adrien on the back.

"There are rules to that gift, Adrien," Gabriel interjected.

 _Of course,_ Adrien sighed, _there are always stipulations to stuff like this._ He politely nodded for his father to continue.

"First, one of those tickets is for your bodyguard. He is to stay near you the whole time. Which leads to rule number two: do not run from him. You've pulled such stunts too many times this year. I want you safe, which is why he is with you in the first place. If I am to trust you with more freedom and more responsibility as a young adult, then I need you to validate that the trust is well placed. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Father." It would be a bit embarrassing to have his bodyguard follow him around the park, but there were still other fourteen-year-olds who went to such places with parental supervision, so all-in-all the requests weren't that bad.

"Your bodyguard has the final say on rides. If he feels, for any reason, that one is unsafe, you are to follow his judgment and refrain from riding it. You are also allotted a strict allowance to pay for games, souvenirs, and food. He will be in charge of this allowance. Any additional money you would like to spend you will have to provide from your own savings. Finally, when your bodyguard decides it is time to head home – for any reason – you are to obey instantly. Are these rules understood?"

"Yes, Father." None of the rules were out of the ordinary for any normal kid. As long as he didn't have to sneak away to be Chat Noir, he could easily follow them all.

"In that case, it seems you have quite the task to figure out what three friends to invite with you."

"This is amazing! Thank you, Father!" Adrien leapt out of his chair and raced over to his father, embracing him in a quick hug before zipping over to his bodyguard. "This is such a great gift, thank you so much!" He wrapped his arms around the Gorilla, knocking the stoic man off his guard for a moment, before he hugged Adrien back. Finally, Adrien rushed over to Nathalie for one last hug. "And thank you for your gift. I can't wait to hang everything up."

"We're glad you're happy, Adrien." Nathalie brushed Adrien's hair with her fingers before gesturing for him to finish his pile of gifts.

The dwindling pile contained more items that Adrien enjoyed, but they all had an impersonal and distant feel to them, especially coming from his father: generic games, movies, and toys that just about any teen his age would want. Adrien suspected his bodyguard and Nathalie had picked them up for their boss to gift to Adrien. Fairly typical. He was pretty positive his mother used to pick out his gifts as well. The only present Adrien felt his father actually got him was the blue scarf for his birthday, and that was purely because Nathalie seemed surprised to see what was inside the packaging.

As Adrien ripped open the last gift he had at his feet, Nathalie placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. There was a quick exchange of knowing glances and nods, before Nathalie left for the atelier.

"What is she doing? Father, you don't have her working today, do you? It's Christmas." Adrien twisted in his seat to try to see what Nathalie was up to.

Gabriel held up his hand to pacify his son. "She's just getting your final gift. It's something that was important to me, and I hope it will mean just as much to you."

Adrien knitted his eyebrows before pivoting in his seat again. Nathalie walked back out of Gabriel's workshop with a short but broad package. The blocky present reminded Adrien of an old-school lunch box. She placed the gift on his lap, and he was surprised at how light it actually was.

Ripping the cranberry-colored wrapping, Adrian found the wooden lid of a wicker basket. It was indeed the rough size and shape of a mid-century metal lunchbox. The wide, wicker paneling was woven intricately, with a thick purple ribbon decorating the middle row. A lock and key toggle clasp kept the lid closed: the open center of the lock charm dangling off the lid as the key charm slid through from the basket, and held the lid in place. Sliding the key charm back through the center to release the lid, Adrien opened the basket.

Inside was a removable tray with roughly twenty spools of embroidery floss lined across it. In the corner were two sleeves of needles: one of regular needles, the other of tapestry needles, both sleeves holding varying sizes. Lifting the tray out of the basket, a wooden embroidery frame and hoop sat on top of four pre-printed canvases. The first one had the Chinese characters for _Love_ and _Hope._ The next one had two crossed fencing sabers, much like the ones Adrien used to spar. The third had three intricate flowers interlocked, and the last canvas had his name in beautifully elaborate calligraphy.

Adrien studied each canvas before turning to his father questioningly.

"Your mother used to crochet," Gabriel reminded his son, "but I was more into embroidery; needle-point; cross-stitching. Anything to embellish my designs, really. I-" Gabriel walked over to his son, and took a knee; resting his left hand on Adrien's right. "I thought that, perhaps, I could take some time to teach you that trade. If you would like."

"Yes! Yes, I would like that very much, Father."

"Good." Gabriel stood back up, and dusted off his knee. "I have some scraps of fabric in my atelier that you can use to learn and practice with, and then you could try out the prints on these canvases. Eventually, you could create your own designs." He picked the basket off Adrien's lap and played with the lock charm dangling off the lid. "This was once my kit, back before I started my company. Back when I did most of the demo garments myself. I hope you'll make good use of it." He handed the basket back to his son.

"I will, Father. Thank you so much." Adrien carefully folded the canvases back up before tucking everything into his new embroidery kit. "Oh!" Adrien placed the basket with the rest of his gifts before hopping up and jogging to the side of the tree. "You three haven't opened your gifts from me yet."

He pulled three thin, long boxes from the side of the tree. He passed the one wrapped in green paper to his bodyguard, the one in red paper to Nathalie, and the one in candy-cane-striped paper to his father. He then motioned for them to all open them at the same time.

They each revealed a handmade scarf matching the wrapping paper it came in. The Gorilla instantly draped his hunter-green scarf around his shoulders, the color working well with the large man's dark suit. Nathalie and Gabriel exchanged looks. The last time Gabriel had seen Adrien working on his scarf, it was the solid red of Nathalie's. They likely asked each other, without words, if Adrien was working on her gift then.

"Adrien, these are quite good." Gabriel brushed his fingers across the scarf where the red transitioned to white, and then back again. The striped scarf matched the ascot he typically wore. "You made all of these this past week?"

"Scarves are actually a lot easier and faster to make than I originally thought. Besides, I thought, maybe, after what you told me about Mom and crocheting, that you'd like a scarf too. It could almost be like she's still around."

Nathalie nodded at Gabriel before wrapping her scarf around her neck, the red matching her turtle neck perfectly. She then patted Adrien on the shoulder, and ushered the Gorilla into the dining hall to get started on brunch.

Gabriel pulled Adrien into a quick hug, before he ushered his son to the stairs. "Thank you, son. Now, let's go get dressed and we can have a nice meal."

The two men walked to their rooms on the second floor, got showered and changed, and then met at the dining room table. The meal was extravagant with an assortment of eggs, pastries, waffles, pancakes, bacon, flavored butters, fruits, and a cheese plate. Once the feasting was done, and Adrien was able to sneak some of it to Plagg, the two Agreste men gathered up their embroidery kits. Settled in the armchairs by the roaring fire, Gabriel gave Adrien his first lesson in sewing. His father wasn't quite as patient a teacher as Marinette, but the two still bonded, and Adrien was able to pick up the craft fairly easily.

In the quiet moments where Gabriel let Adrien be, so he could practice, the teen's mind couldn't help but wander. Sometimes it was to the joy of having this time with his father. Other times it was to the thought of his mother bringing the two men together again, even though she wasn't physically there anymore. Then there were times where he thought of Marinette.

All of those crafts. All of that talent. The entire tote of gifts she made. She knew how to do things like embroidery. Adrien wasn't sure he could ever be as skilled as his friend, but he liked the idea of sharing a hobby with her. Especially since it was his father who taught him. He had to be careful about crocheting around Marinette, because she had taught Chat Noir that skill, but Adrien could easily do needle-point around her with no fears. He wondered if she could show him how she made that _M_ logo she created for herself; maybe help him come up with a signature of his own.

Hours passed. Adrien got better and better at learning the multitude of different stitches, using three different scraps of white cotton cloth to try them out on. His father asked him questions about his life at the public school, and about his friends. Once they became bored with all of the needle work, they packed up their kits, and moved to Adrien's room where they watched a few Christmas movies together.

It didn't even occur to Adrien that an akuma hadn't attacked Paris all day. At least, not until after they had dinner, and the clock ticked close to nine at night. He enjoyed having a full day with his father, but he was going to be late for his meet-up with Ladybug. Grabbing one of his new novels, he excused himself to his room, claiming to be getting weary and wanted to just quietly read for the rest of the night.

Nathalie and the Gorilla were the first to wish him one last merry Christmas and a goodnight. Gabriel walked his son to his room before giving him one more hug.

"This was a very special Christmas for me, Adrien." Gabriel brushed his hand against the red and white striped scarf he had been wearing all day. "Thank you for making me remember how important it is that the two of us still celebrate it. Goodnight, son."

It was the second time in roughly a year that Gabriel wished Adrien a goodnight, and it was two nights in a row. Ladybug was now the only one who could pull him away from his father. There was a renewed connection between father and son. One Adrien hadn't felt since his mother disappeared. Maybe even one he hadn't felt since before then. Blinking his eyes dry, Adrien wished his father goodnight as well, and then tucked himself away inside his room.

Grabbing wrapping paper and a box, Adrien scrambled to wrap his gift for Ladybug. He only had minutes to go before it was nine o'clock, and he still needed to make it to the Trocadéro.

"Plagg-"

"I haven't had much to eat, and I had to stay hidden in your pocket all day, and you expect me to transform you?" Plagg crossed his arms and refused to look at Adrien.

"Alright, but make it quick." Adrien dug out a large chunk of Camembert, and tossed it at Plagg. The kwami swooped in and caught the cheese in his mouth with one large gulp. While Plagg was distracted with his chewing, Adrien thrust his fist into the air in front of him. "Plagg, Claws Out!"

"Wait!" Plagg shouted back as he was sucked towards Adrien's ring. "I haven't finished yet!" He swallowed down the last of the cheese just as he was absorbed by Adrien's Miraculous: the Cat Ring.

A few seconds later, Adrien was transformed into Chat Noir. He snatched his gift off his bed, and leapt out his window, making his way to his rendezvous with Ladybug.

 _I sure hope she likes her gift._ Chat Noir glanced down at the freshly wrapped package in his arms as he ran across the Parisian rooftops. Everything had gone so perfectly for him the past two days. The only other thing he wanted that Christmas was for Ladybug to feel the love he poured into her present.

All he wanted, was for her to know how much he cared.

* * *

 ****A/N: This chapter was tricky. I knew almost from the get-go that I wanted Adrien to use his new crocheting skills to make a scarf for his father, which is why the candy-cane-striped scarf is part of the cover illustration. I also felt that Nathalie and the Gorilla needed scarves as well. The trick, though, was I don't want to give Gabe and Nathalie too much sympathy. I don't want to make people think I'm okay with their small acts of affection making up for all the neglect and endangerment thrown at Adrien. At the same time though, ADRIEN is a very forgiving kid still, and would GLADLY forgive both of them with just the tiniest bit of affection. All he wants is to be loved, and he'll take it where he can get it. So, I wanted Adrien to feel authentic, but please know that by NO MEANS am I condoning anything Gabriel and Nathalie are doing.**

 **Also, originally, Gabe was going to get the scarf that Adrien was making for Ladybug, but two things happened. 1) It kept him too long to ask about switching colors, so he never would have been able to have the candy-cane-striping in the scarf he was working on with Marinette. 2) It felt like it was gifting too much of Adrien to have him give his father something he had intended for Ladybug.**

 **Also also... sorry about no MariChat (or Love Square really at all) this chapter... we'll get back to that goodness for the rest of the story.****


	7. Always With You

****A/N: So sorry for the delay on this, guys. I was certain I'd have it up by Thursday, but... well... life. I only managed to write for about an hour or so per day this week, so this chapter took way longer than I had planned. Just the epilogue is left though, so I'm aiming to have this whole story concluded before January's end.****

* * *

 **\- ALWAYS WITH YOU -**

Chat Noir never showed up.

As Marinette kissed her parents on their cheeks, and made her way to her bedroom to close out her Christmas, it occurred to her that Chat Noir never stopped by to spend the holiday with the Dupain-Chengs.

 _It's dangerous for a civilian if a superhero spent personal time with them,_ Marinette reminded herself, _He was just looking out for me and my family._ Still, her heart ached knowing he was out there somewhere, possibly struggling through the day.

"You think he had a nice Christmas, Tikki?" Marinette pulled out the picnic basket she had packed that morning. She finished her gift by tucking in the thermos of hot cocoa she had made before heading to her bedroom. Her parents thought she was just going to watch the Seine on her balcony; settling in for bed by sipping a warm beverage under a blanket of stars.

"Adrien?" Tikki smiled and nodded. "I think he really appreciated the gift, and I'm sure it brought him happiness today."

"Oh!" Marinette's face warmed. Tikki couldn't read her mind, and had no clue which "he" she was referring to. Marinette forgot that, and of course Tikki would default to Adrien. "No, I- I mean, do you think Chat Noir had a good Christmas. With his family not really celebrating it anymore?"

Tikki's smile softened, and she nuzzled Marinette's cheek. "He didn't come here, which must mean things went well for him. The day is nearly over with anyway, so you can't change it now. You can still have a good evening with him as Ladybug, though. At the Trocadéro you can find out how his day went, and cheer him up if you need to."

"Yeah, you're right." Marinette looked just past Tikki's head, to a small wrapped box on the corner of her desk, sitting next to a thin vase with a feathered rose in it. Shaking her head to re-focus herself, she sifted through her basket one last time. Positive she had everything, she checked the clock next: quarter-to-nine. She would have just enough time to set up before he got there.

"Tikki, Spots On!" Marinette brushed her hand across her left ear, moving her hair out of the way as her kwami got sucked into her earring. A few seconds later, she was clad in her normal red bodysuit with black spots. Picking up her basket, she hopped onto her bed, unlatched her skylight, and lassoed a spire of the Notre-Dame in order to swing herself through Paris.

The Trocadéro was across the city from her home, but Ladybug could make it there in roughly five minutes. She landed on the southwest wing of the Palais de Chaillot with nearly ten minutes to spare. She just hoped Chat Noir wasn't so excited about their meet-up that he would arrive early.

She didn't need to worry. In no time, she had a large Sherpa fleece blanket laid out, two over-sized pillows placed as seats, the covered plastic bowl filled with cookies centered perfectly on their little nest, and two mugs at the ready beside the thermos. All she needed was her partner.

"Well, merry Christmas, M'lady." Chat Noir held tightly to his stick, his thumb pressed against the green paw print used to extend it, and his feet rested against the pole to steady him. He rose to the roof of the Palais like he was riding an elevator, fluidly stepping onto it the moment his toes passed the crowning. His stick instantly shrank to its normal size, and he rolled it across the back of his hand before catching it and attaching his weapon to the small of his back.

"You're late, Kitty." Ladybug feigned annoyance, but she couldn't keep the smile from her lips.

"Sorry. I actually lost track of the time." He crossed his ankles before lowering himself down onto the pillow; his legs folded before him.

"Well, that's good." Cautious relief washed over Ladybug. "That means you had a merry Christmas yourself then, right?" She silently prayed she didn't sound too hopeful; too invested. At the same time, what did it harm? He was her best friend. It would only be natural that she'd hope his tardiness was due to a happy celebration running long.

"Yeah, actually." He leaned back on his hands and stared up at the sky. With all the lights from the Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower, no star could be seen, but his eyes scanned the heavens as if he were searching for them anyway. "It's been a long time since my home life was as nice as it was today. I got to spend a lot of time with my-" His eyes darted to Ladybug for a second before returning to the sky. "With a family member I rarely see anymore." He was learning how to better hide details that could give him away. Ladybug was proud. Not revealing themselves was mostly her rule, but she appreciated how firmly he tried to adhere to it.

"I'm so glad." Ladybug watched him study the sky for a few more seconds before she remembered why they were there. "Oh! Here, have a cookie. I also have some cocoa if you'd like."

Chat Noir gladly accepted her treats, munching down on a raspberry thumbprint cookie. He savored the flavor, swooshing it around in his mouth; taking small bites of the second cookie he took.

"I know this flavor." His eyes again searched the empty air; trying to lock down what he was tasting.

"Yeah, it's called raspberry," Ladybug teased.

"No. Not that. It's specific. It's- Are these from the Tom and Sabine Bakery?"

Ladybug blinked a few times. She didn't realize her father's baking was that distinct. "They are the best bakers in all of Paris, after all." Her heart raced, praying that Chat Noir wouldn't figure out her connection to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

"You bet they are!" He scooped up two more cookies, and shoved one in his mouth. "Anyone getting baked goods anywhere else when they could buy them from that bakery is insane. Although, I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed you didn't bake these for me yourself, Bugaboo."

Ladybug nervously laughed. She had baked quite a few of those cookies. These were the ones her family all made together for their own consumption. She was even going to tell Chat Noir she baked them for him, but she knew she couldn't now.

"Trust me," she waved him off, but avoided looking at him. "Tom Dupain's cookies are way better than anything I'd bake."

"I dunno." Chat Noir popped the second cookie in his mouth. "I'm sure you would do really well. You'll have to promise me that you'll bring me some cookies _you_ made at some point."

"Alright. Maybe because it's Christmas and I'm feeling charitable, I'll promise to bring you cookies I baked. Someday."

Chat Noir held up his mug of hot cocoa, and Ladybug clinked it with her own. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just admiring the beautiful holiday light displays surrounding them. It reminded Ladybug of those quiet evenings when Chat Noir sat on her chaise crocheting while she was doing her own crafting projects. There was a bond strong enough that they no longer had to fill the empty air between them.

"Oh! This picnic was so lovely I nearly forgot!" Chat Noir picked up a package wrapped in red paper, and handed it to Ladybug.

"For me?" Ladybug tried to not seem so bewildered, but the box was way too small for a scarf to fit. There had to have been some sort of mix-up.

"Of course. Merry Christmas, Ladybug. Thank you for being such a good friend to me." His smile was so soft and genuine. Clearly he either didn't notice Ladybug's confusion, or he interpreted it as surprise that he would gift her anything.

Ladybug accepted the gift, but gingerly turned it over in her hands. It was fairly thin, only a few centimeters high, and the box was able to fit in her palm. Granted, it took up her full hand, from the heel of her palm to the tips of her fingers, but it was still entirely too small for a scarf to be folded inside.

"Well, are you going to open it? It's not one of your Lucky Charms; you don't have to try to figure it out, you can just tear off the paper." Chat Noir playfully bumped her arm with his elbow.

"R-right!" She wasn't supposed to know about the scarf, so she couldn't ask about the small packaging. Her only option was to just see what was inside. Tucking a pinkie between the paper and tape, she was able to pop the seam easily. The wrapping job was kind of shoddy, but it did its purpose, and it was that much easier to remove from around the small box hidden inside.

It was a white box, much like the one her feather charm came in, only much larger.

"Kitty, what did you do? You didn't get me jewelry, did you?" She couldn't accept it if it were jewelry. What had happened to the scarf? It was perfect, even if she couldn't wear it in public outside of costume.

"Just open it." He softly laughed as he grabbed another cookie and dunked it in his cocoa.

Gulping, Ladybug lifted the lid. Inside was a small carabiner key ring, with four charms attached to it: little yarn dolls with wooden heads the size of a marble. Each doll was about as long as her finger, and looked lovingly made. A length of yarn was threaded through the marble-sized wooden bead, leaving behind a loop Chat Noir had attached to a simple key ring. A second bit of yarn was intricately knotted around the two strands hanging from the bead, creating the body of the dolls. The tails of the beaded string had small plastic beads dangling off their ends, creating legs and feet. The tails of the knotted string also had small plastic beads at their ends: arms and hands.

One doll had black yarn for the loop and the legs, while a yellow yarn knotted around, ending in a string of black beads: black gloves for the doll. Another doll also had black yarn for the loop and legs, with orange yarn wrapped around as the body and arms. Just like the yellow and black doll, the orange one had small black beads creating long gloves. Dangling from under the knots lining the back of the doll was the thin end of an orange necktie, creating a fox-like tail. The third doll was made of two strips of green yarn, but the knots were more blocky along the back, making it thick and curved. The last doll was entirely black, and had an extra snip of yarn dangling down the back like a tail.

The yellow and black doll had a matching black mask with yellow accent stripes drawn across the wooden bead. The top and back of the bead had what looked like a yellow ponytail sketched on. A smug smile stretched across the doll's inked-on lips. The orange and black doll had a large mask covering most of its face: orange along the top half of the mask and white along the bottom. Below the mask was a cheeky smile, and copper hair with white tips covered the rest of the head. The green doll's head had a green hood, matching ski goggles, and a shy smile all drawn on. The black doll had a matching mask inked on, and vibrant green eyes shining through; the only doll with eyes drawn onto the mask. The head was covered in yellow scribbles to look like shaggy hair, and its smile was soft and innocent.

"Chat Noir, what is this?" Ladybug gave a playful giggle as she held up her key ring of yarn dolls.

"Worry dolls."

Ladybug's giggling stopped. She just stared wide-eyed at Chat Noir. He scooted closer and held out his hand for her to rest the dolls onto his palm.

"I don't remember where they first came from. Somewhere in Central America, I think? But you're supposed to whisper a fear or worry to them, and then tuck them under your pillow. During the night they will hold onto that worry for you so you can sleep better. They're small, though, and can only hold one bit of anxiety at a time, so I made you the whole team. This way you can always have the rest of us with you wherever you go. A way to remind you that you don't have to carry the burden of saving Paris and stopping Hawk Moth by yourself. You have support."

Ladybug choked down a few sobs as she wiped a stray tear off her cheek. Chat Noir didn't notice; at least, he didn't comment on it.

"I know Paris has asked a lot more of you lately." Chat Noir mindlessly played with the dolls. He didn't look over at Ladybug; he gave her whatever time and space she needed to recover without embarrassment. "I also know that you've had to save Paris by yourself a few times. It's a lot of pressure, and I'm afraid it's going to wear on you. How could it not? So-." He made the little Chat Noir doll wave up at her, making her laugh. "I figured these guys could help at least a little. You could keep the whole team together, or-." He pressed on the release for the carabiner, and slid the Chat Noir doll off. He then held it out to Ladybug by its small key ring. "You could take off whichever one of us you need at the time, and carry them around."

Ladybug delicately cradled the doll in her hand, nudging the face gingerly with her knuckle.

"These are so precious, Chat Noir. Thank you." She pressed the black yarn doll to her chest, and then held her hand out for the rest of them. "I- I'm not sure what to say."

Ladybug's mind bounced between a hundred questions. Was the scarf just a rouse? If so, to what end? Did he want an excuse to hang out with Marinette, and if so, why? If that were truly the case, why did he stop visiting her? When did he think of creating the worry dolls, and when did he have the time to make them? What happened to the scarf? Did he give it to someone else? Did he keep it for himself? Did she have to be on the lookout for a blonde boy wearing a red crocheted scarf with six black stripes on it? Did she seem more stressed than normal, which is why he switched gears and decided on the dolls instead?

More and more questions swirled around in her head until she became dizzy.

"The best part, I think," Chat Noir re-adjusted on his pillow, lounging with his legs spread out in front of him, "Is that I made sure to keep them small enough to hide. If I'm going to be completely honest, I had another gift for you. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I were to see you wearing it, I would know who you are, as a civilian. I also knew you would realize that, and then never wear it, which would be a shame. I wanted to give you something you could keep with you; to look at, and enjoy every day. That's when I remembered learning about the worry dolls when I was younger. They're actually pretty easy to make, so the hardest part was drawing on the faces."

"What did you do with the original gift?" Ladybug's heart thumped against her chest, making it hard to breathe.

"I'm saving it."

"For?"

"For when it's a good idea to give it to you." Chat Noir winked, then held out his mug. "Is there more cocoa?"

Ladybug tucked her dolls back into their box, and tenderly placed it inside her picnic basket. She then refilled Chat Noir's mug before mischievously smiling.

"Alright, well, now that I have to top those worry dolls, are you ready for _your_ gift?"

Chat Noir's eyes shot up to meet Ladybug's. He then glanced around their picnic, his eyebrows stretched upward, as if he was asking _This isn't it?_

Ladybug reached into her basket, and pulled out a ball just small enough for her to still palm. She lobbed it over to Chat Noir.

"Dogs play with balls, M'lady." Chat Noir teased as he caught it. "Unless this is secretly made of yarn." It was unmistakably made of plastic, but he still felt the need to joke.

"No yarn, but-." She pointed to the side of the orb.

Chat Noir twisted it in his hands. The plastic had slits throughout the sides, all blocked off by electrical tape lining the inside. The part that Ladybug pointed to was a circular lid that could be twisted off.

"A hamster ball? Did you get me a hamster?" Chat Noir sounded a bit too excited by the prospect, and Ladybug feared cat-like instincts had actually kicked in, much like his spontaneous purring.

"Would I have thrown it to you if it had an animal inside? Just open it already."

"Such bizarre wrapping here, Bugaboo," he teased as he unlocked the lid. "Slips of paper?" He pulled one out, and read the words typed across it. "'If you had intro music, what song would it be?' Ladybug, what is this?"

"You wanted to get to know me more, so I figured out a way for you to do that. I came up with about a hundred questions, and then cut them up into strips. You now get to blindly fish out questions for me to answer. I was careful to come up with ones that will let us know each other better, but won't give away anything personal that could reveal ourselves."

"Wait. 'Let us know each other'? 'Reveal ourselves'? Why do I feel like I'm included in this somehow?"

"Clever kitty." Ladybug gave him a delighted half-smile. "I have one rule to this game: any question you decide to ask me you must answer as well. I can't have this being a one-sided get-to-know-your-partner game, can I?"

"Alright. Deal. So let's go with the one I already asked: If you had intro music, what song would it be?"

Ladybug pursed her lips and leaned onto her hand as she thought. "I do have intro music." She winked and started singing Clara Nightingale's song about her. She then transitioned into the song Jagged Stone wrote about her.

"Well, that's just not fair," Chat Noir pouted. "No one wrote a song about me."

"Oh! Kitty, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have included that question. That was rude of me."

"It's okay, I was just teasing." Chat Noir bumped her shoulder with his before pondering his answer. " _Me at Night_ by Moment of Zen. 'The sun sets, that's when I'm most myself. No one to tell me no. No one to shun my way of life. The sun sets, and all that's left is me.'" He then broke into a drum solo, flaring his arms around.

"That's really deep there, Chat Noir." Ladybug bit into one of the sugar cookies.

"I'm more introspective and mysterious than you believe, M'lady." Chat Noir picked up a cookie as well as he reached into the hamster ball. "Alright. Next question: What's the most useful thing you own?" Ladybug simply held up her yo-yo. "No, seriously this time."

"My cellphone then. A little computer right in your pocket? What could be more useful than that? Need to figure out if an akuma is attacking? Phone. Need to contact my friends? Phone. Need a tutorial on something I'm working on? Phone. Need to research for a project? Phone."

Chat Noir laughed and waved for her to stop. "Okay, I get it. Let's see. I think I have to go with the mini-fridge in my bedroom." Ladybug quirked an eyebrow at him. "I'm being serious. My kwami practically refuses to eat anything other than cheese, so I have to stay well-stocked, and having it all stored in my room where I have privacy is kind of a god-send."

"Alright. I accept your answer."

"You had the option of not accepting?" They both laughed as they enjoyed more cookies, unintentionally dunking the biscuits into their hot cocoa in time with each other. "Ooo, here's a good one." Chat Noir popped the rest of his gingerbread man into his mouth as he read the next slip of paper. "If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would you choose?"

Ladybug leaned over Chat Noir's lap so she could tap on the hamster ball. "I've wanted one for years. Hamsters are just adorable, and they're basically pocket-sized, so it would feel like I had a second kwami covered in fur."

"I was actually going to say pretty much the same thing! See, we're just so in sync, aren't we?"

"That's not one of the approved questions," Ladybug teased. Now understanding Chat Noir's earlier excitement, Ladybug felt a twinge of guilt about using a hamster ball for their game. It was just the easiest way to have a blind-bowl, and they were fairly cheap to buy.

"Fine, fine." Chat Noir pulled out another slip of paper. He didn't seem upset at all as he giddily read the next question aloud. "If you didn't have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?"

Ladybug let out an abrupt belly laugh. "I forgot about that question. I think I'd catch up on all of my hobbies: crafting, playing video games, reading, watching shows, that kind of stuff. Between school, school work, and superhero work, I don't really have much free time left. The little bit I do have is usually spent with my friends. I love it, but it also means I don't have 'me time' for the stuff I like to do solo. What about you?"

"I'd do as much research as possible to figure out who you are." Chat Noir smirked, and then flinched as Ladybug teasingly smacked him in the chest. "Hey! Alright, fine. I- uh-" Chat Noir's eyes darkened as he slumped a bit. "I can't really answer then. I mean, I'd still be doing research, but what I'd be researching would be personal." He rolled a shortbread cookie across his knuckles like it were a coin.

He looked really vulnerable, and Ladybug didn't know what to do with that information. This game was supposed to be fun. She quickly reached into the ball to pull out a question; ignoring Chat Noir's protest.

"How often do you play sports?" She laughed like the question was ridiculous. "This," she gestured to her superhero outfit, "is the most athletic I get, actually. I will play a sport now and again to stay active and have fun, but I don't do it regularly. Not unless you count phys. ed.?"

"I am shocked, L.B.!" Chat Noir rested his hand on his chest, and gasped overly dramatically. Whatever his mysterious research would be about, the darkness that descended upon him just as quickly vaporized. "And here I play sports at least twice a week."

"What sports?"

Chat Noir waved his finger and smirked. "Now, Ladybug, I don't believe that is one of the approved questions. Although, I could sift through here to see if I can find it." He started rummaging about in the ball.

Ladybug giggled. "Touché. I didn't put that question in there, and you're right, answering it might have given me a clue to your true identity."

"Alright, well, since I'm here anyway," he pulled out a slip of paper. "What do you do to improve your mood when you're in a bad one? Oh, nice, anti-akumatization tips!"

"I look for the positive. It helps that I have my kwami to help cheer me up, but even before her, I had my parents or my friends. So surrounding myself with good and positive people is what really helps me. I just remind myself that I'm amazing, and I can solve any problem. Whatever trouble I'm dealing with isn't going to be permanent. I can find a way to get back to a good place. You?"

"I become Chat Noir. Running around Paris, being out of the house, and just experiencing true freedom really helps me clear my mind. I can also imagine you being somewhere in the city, and that helps cheer me up." Chat Noir leaned close, and Ladybug pushed him back upright, ringing the bell at his collar as she pulled away from him.

"Alright. Enough of that." She tapped the hamster ball, and Chat Noir pulled out the next question.

"How often do you people watch?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Ladybug didn't even hesitate when she answered.

"Ladybug! I didn't realize you were such a voyeur!" Chat Noir again melodramatically gasped.

Ladybug gently shoved him. "Not like that! But I want to make sure people aren't going to be akumatized, so if I'm not supposed to be paying attention to other things, I'll sit and watch people. It also helps inspire me when I need to tap into my Spring of Inspiration. People are just so fascinating, and it's fun to observe how they act when they aren't thinking about people watching them." She scrunched her whole face into an exaggerated pout. "Don't judge."

"I'm not! I'm totally not." Chat Noir waved his hands defensively as he chuckled. "I get it. I do the same thing. I don't really do it all that frequently, though. I don't have the free-time to do so as much as I'd like. But when I do find a random lull in my day, I really enjoy people watching."

"It's fun, isn't it? To kind of get a window into someone else's life? To imagine what the rest of their day-to-day looks like? Is it what you are watching right then, or is that a special occasion you're spying on? It's so fascinating."

The two continued talking and answering questions from the hamster ball until a nearby clock chimed midnight. Startled by the time, Chat Noir helped Ladybug clean up their picnic; the cookies and cocoa long gone. He pointed out that he still had questions left in the ball to ask, and Ladybug agreed that he was allowed to ask her any and all of them whenever he wanted, as long as they weren't in the middle of an akuma attack.

"Thank you for this, Ladybug."

"It was actually my pleasure, Kitty Cat."

Ladybug wasn't sure what she was thinking, only that she clearly wasn't. She was moving on impulse. She gave him an abrupt peck on the cheek before quickly stepping away from him. Hanging her head to try to hide her blush, and glanced up through her bangs at him. "Merry Christmas."

Chat Noir's mouth hung open as he rubbed where she kissed him. He then smiled and gave her a simple nod. "Merry Christmas, M'lady. I hope yours was even half as amazing as mine was."

They stood there. Silent. Basking in the glow of the Eiffel Tower and the Place de Trocadéro, both beautifully lit up for Christmas. Each superhero had a million more things to talk about, and yet nothing that needed to be said. Ladybug moved first, as she scooped up her basket, waved to Chat Noir, and lassoed her yo-yo around a nearby flagpole. A second later, she was swinging her way around Paris as she traveled home.

As she landed on her balcony, she de-transformed, and quietly snuck into her bedroom. The place was dark, quiet, and warm, but it also felt lonely for the first time. Using only the little bit of light that shone across the Seine from the Notre-Dame, Marinette climbed down her ladder, tucked her picnic basket away, and pulled out her new set of worry dolls.

She quickly dressed for bed, and then scooped her dolls back up. Turning to her ladder, Marinette pressed the dolls tightly against her chest, as if she could sense the love Chat Noir poured into them if she hugged them close enough. She just about did, too.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the silhouette of her feathered rose. The faint moonlight cast silver highlights along the pedals, draping it in soft spotlight. The small, wrapped box still rested beside the vase, taunting Marinette slightly.

She unclipped the Chat Noir worry doll, and held it up to her face. The green eyes were far more intense then they deserved to be; more than they probably looked to anyone else. She already missed looking into those eyes for real. She had just spent hours with him, but she now felt empty knowing he was again lost within Paris; mysteriously disappeared to wherever it was he came from. Wherever home was for him.

She was ecstatic that he had such a great day, but it also meant Marinette's last chance for him to stop by to spend time with her civilian self had probably come and gone. At least she had the new worry doll now. He wouldn't know it was Marinette carrying it; whispering her troubles to it, but he'd now always be with her regardless. She would have both best friends whenever she needed them.

 _Heck,_ Marinette mused as she glanced at the Rena Rouge doll, _I could carry both of my besties around in my pocket now, if I wanted._

"Marinette?" Tikki chirped from her chosen's loft, the blankets already untucked, "Are you coming to bed? It's late, and you should get some rest."

"Yeah, I'm coming up." Marinette placed the Chat Noir worry doll against the small package on her desk. She rubbed the top of its head with her index finger, like she were petting a cat. Leaning in close, she decided to give her worry doll its first try.

"I'm sorry I couldn't figure out a reason Ladybug would have this gift from me to you, Chat Noir," she told the doll, "And now I'm not sure I'll ever get a chance to give it to you."

The doll slumped slightly, its head resting against the package. The little smile drawn on was so sincere looking, as if it could indeed feel, and was re-assuring her that it was alright. He knew she cared for him, and that was all that mattered.

"Wow! These dolls really do work!" Marinette no longer felt saddened about her ungifted present, or about the fact that Chat Noir never visited her. She just felt at peace with the idea that he had a great day, and a lovely evening with her superhero half. That was all that mattered; not some physical possession. "Merry Christmas, Chat Noir. Until I see you again." She then whispered as if she were telling the worry doll a deep secret. "You're always welcome to invade my roof-top sanctuary. Whenever you need it."

She stood up, cupped the bloom of her rose, and climbed into bed. As she snuggled under her covers, she tucked the other worry dolls under her pillow, and pressed her hand against a picture of Adrien she had pinned to the cork-board on her wall.

"Good night to you as well, Adrien. I hope your Christmas was just as amazing as Chat Noir's, and mine." She gave the picture a quick kiss, and then relaxed her head on her pillow. She was fast asleep within minutes, knowing it was one of the greatest Christmas weeks she had ever experienced.

* * *

 ****A/N: Thus ends the main story of "Woven Heartstrings." Just have the epilogue to go, which should not be the 5000+ word beasts these past few chapters have been. What does everyone think of the gifts LadyNoir gave to each other? Just a simple picnic didn't feel like enough for the partners, but a game of questions seemed fitting: give the gift of a memorable experience.**

 **Fun factoid: Moment of Zen was the name of my husband's stupidly short-lived 2-man band in college. The other guy just didn't feel like committing, so they broke up. As for the song? I just pulled that one out of my butt. :D It was partially inspired by the song "Live At Night" by Different Heaven ft Sophie Simmons. If you like soft electronic dance music, give it a listen.**

 **As for the worry dolls? A co-worker of mine was actually reading an article about them last week, and it just seemed perfect for Chat Noir's gift. Especially with the fandom becoming more and more nervous for Marinette's safety after nearly becoming akumatized twice. I had always known that CN wasn't going to actually give the scarf to Ladybug – originally giving it to Gabriel instead – but that meant I needed a different idea for his lady. I remembered making my own worry dolls in elementary school: sometimes out of yarn-woven or marker-colored wooden clothes pins; sometimes out of pipe cleaners. When I was in middle school, my Spanish class even made some worry dolls out of decorative cocktail toothpicks and embroidery floss. I had never attempted to make them the way Adrien did, but after hitting up Pinterest, I thought they would be the best ones for him to make, and now I really want to make some myself. I might have to hit up the craft store sometime this week...**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading. Just a little bit more to go before I can officially close out this story. You guys are amazing for sticking with me and giving me so much love. Mwah!****


	8. Epilogue

****A/N:** **This epilogue just did NOT want to form, but I was determined to have this story done before February, and, at 11:30 pm, I just barely made it under the wire. I have to give a shout out to Chibisunnie for helping me talk my way through the formatting of this. The POV was all over the place, and in truth there's still a few spots where I technically head-hop. Buuuut, it's as polished as I'm going to get, and it's fanfiction, so I need to remember it doesn't HAVE to be professional quality. I hope you can still enjoy it. And thank you all for being on this journey with me!****

* * *

 **\- EPILOGUE -**

Chat Noir's hand hovered above the glass. It had been a few days since he had visited Marinette as his superhero self. He had no real excuse to be there that night. Well, he _did_ have one, but the point was that Marinette wouldn't be expecting him. Was it rude to just stop by unannounced? Then again, how was he supposed to announce himself? It wasn't like he could call her and let her know that a superhero was planning on swinging by in the next twenty minutes.

 _You're overthinking this. Chat Noir works on instinct and impulse,_ he reminded himself. Taking a breath, he softly tapped on the skylight, like he did the second night he learned how to crochet.

There was a long pause, and he wondered if she was even in her room. She could have been out with Alya, or playing video games with her father. Chat Noir was starting to doubt this impromptu meet-up was a good idea, but he had missed her on Christmas, so he was determined to see her that night.

He tapped again, and this time it was almost immediately answered with a high-pitched squeak, some hurried shuffling and clanging, and then Marinette's surprised face welcoming him at the skylight.

"Merry Christmas, Marinette." Chat Noir nervously waved and gave her an unsure smile. "You free?"

He scooted back a little so she could open the window and poke her head out. "Uh, yeah, I'm free. Give me a second." She then pulled herself up onto the rooftop balcony. Her outfit looked new, and warm. Perhaps something she got for Christmas, or something she had made for herself.

Instead of her normal pink jean capris, she had on cozy looking red pants, with white turned-up cuffs covered in red polka-dots. Her usual white shirt with a cherry blossom branch on it was also replaced by a fleece gray shirt with a little ladybug embroidery on it. Finally, she had on a thick, evergreen-colored jacket with cuffs and lapel that matched her pants, instead of her regular gray three-quarter-sleeve jacket. It was delightfully festive, while being very low-key about the Christmas-y feel the outfit put out. She seemed so relaxed in the new get-up that Chat Noir couldn't resist smiling.

"Chat Noir? Is there something on my face, or on my clothes?" She quickly examined her whole body with a rapid pat-down to check for anything loose or dirty. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Nothing. I was just admiring your new look." He gestured to the outfit. "It seems warm."

"Oh!" She looked herself over, as if she had forgotten what she was wearing. "Thank you. It is so comfy, I love it. Did you need something, though? A blanket or anything?"

"No, I'm good. I just- well- I came here tonight to say that I'm sorry I didn't make it over here yesterday." Chat Noir dug his toe into the tile behind him. He couldn't hold eye contact with Marinette, stealing glances before instantly looking away.

"No! That's fine. You don't have to apologize. Really. I get it, you were enjoying your Christmas, and didn't need to visit. I'm happy for you." She walked closer to him, raising her hand to rest on his arm, but hesitated. "Besides." Marinette shifted to her balcony banister, and admired the Notre-Dame across the river. "It's probably for my safety that you don't regularly hang out with me. If Hawk Moth found out who your friends and family are, we might be in danger-"

"You don't want to be friends?"

"N-no! No, that's not what I meant! I like you a lot- no-no! Not- not a _lot_. I mean, I do want to be friends with you, but I get it if you don't want to hang out here. Because you're a superhero."

"Do you think I shouldn't be your friend?" Chat Noir inched away, his head hung low. "Am I being selfish if I want to, though? If I like hanging out with you here?"

They stared each other down. Each one studying the other. Each one trying to find the right answer. Each one waiting for the other to speak up first.

"I like you hanging out here, too." Marinette walked back over to Chat Noir, again stopping before taking his hand. Her outstretched fingers quickly coiled into a loose fist as she rested her arm by her side.

"In that case." Chat Noir's face softened, and he moved over to her deck chair. Stooping down, he pulled a long, thin package from behind it. With a quick pivot, he stood up and held the gift out to her.

It was wrapped in lovely pink paper with snowflakes dotted across it. Unlike his awkward wrapping of Ladybug's gift the night before, this one looked like it was carefully folded, and properly taped. It even had a nice, thick, pink ribbon tied in a bow for an accent.

"I meant to give this to you on Christmas. It was already wrapped and everything, but I got caught up in a bunch of other things. I hope you don't think I forgot about you."

Marinette took in the beautiful package, and then the remorse in Chat Noir's eyes; an almost pleading that she know that she mattered to him.

"Marinette," Chat Noir took a step closer, nudging the package towards her hands, "You mean a great deal to me. You've been a truer friend than you could know, and you gave me a better gift than I could ask for."

"Gift?" Marinette was in a bit of a daze seeing Chat Noir holding out a present for her, but she snapped out of it the second the word left her lips. "Gift! Oh! I have one for you too. Hold on." In a flash she was through her skylight; vanished into her bedroom. There was some shuffling, a couple of thuds followed by a verbal confirmation that she was fine, and then the rapid creaks of Marinette's ladder as she sprinted back up to her bed.

Before Chat Noir could ask if she needed help, she was back on her roof, dusting off her pants, and holding out a box that fit nicely on her palm. It was wrapped in a wintery powder-blue paper, tied off with a simple bow of green yarn that matched Chat Noir's eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Chat Noir." Her breathing became slightly labored, as if something heavy suddenly sat on her chest.

"You didn't need to."

"Neither did you. I already have that lovely flower."

"I told you it wasn't your Christmas gift. It was just a thank you. _This_ is your Christmas gift." He lightly shook the package in his hand for emphasis.

"Yeah, well, teaching you to crochet was just a friendly gesture, not a gift. _This_ is a gift." She mimicked his package rattle by gently batting the wrapped box on her palm.

They both softly chuckled as they traded gifts. Neither moved, and neither verbally counted, but they both waited for the mental count of three before tearing into their gifts. The bows unwound in perfect sync, and the paper was discarded with matched time. Soon they were both holding generic white boxes. One more quick glance at each other, and the lids were also removed in mirrored movements.

"Oh, Kitty!"

"Marinette, this-"

They each pulled their presents out of their respective boxes, letting the white cardboard drop to the rooftop. They cradled the precious gifts, and examined the great craftsmanship put into them.

Chat Noir ran a finger across each bead on the bracelet Marinette made him. It was fairly simple. Small black and green beads alternated down one side, black and red ran down the other side. In the center was a small, sitting, black cat bead, and a bright, detailed, red ladybug bead. A single black bead connected them. The bracelet was latched closed with a simple, silver, barrel clasp; giving it a pseudo-masculine look.

Marinette brushed her hand across the beautiful stitching of her pink scarf. As she unfolded it, she noticed thin white stripes: three of them at each third of the scarf. It was the same exact scarf he had made for Ladybug, recreated for her in her signature pink and white. This one she could actually wear. She couldn't let anyone know who made it for her, but she could still wear it in public. Chat Noir could spot her wearing it around Paris, and it would just be a nod to their secret friendship. Her eyes welled up, and she quickly wiped a stray tear before it could roll down her cheek.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Chat Noir scooted closer to her, and gently cradled her elbow to catch her attention.

"I'm wonderful. This-" She shook her head, smiled, and wrapped the scarf around her neck, letting the one tail dangle over her chest as the other flopped over her shoulder and down her back. "This is such a lovely present. I'll cherish it always. Thank you, Chat Noir."

"A bit of a reminder of what you were able to teach me. You're actually a really good teacher, so thank you."

"You are quite welcome." Marinette's eyes drifted to the bracelet Chat Noir was still tenderly holding in his left hand. "I hope it fits alright. I had to guess how large your wrist was compared to mine. Although, I don't know if you could ever actually wear it, now that I think about it. Clearly it won't work while you're Chat Noir, and wearing it when you're not doing superhero-y things could be dangerous. If I saw a boy walking around with that on his wrist I'd know instantly it was you." Her shoulders slumped as she realized the bracelet was probably a bad idea after all. "Well, maybe you could keep it as just a lucky charm instead of a lucky bracelet."

"Lucky charm?" Chat Noir's voice caught as he gave the bracelet a second glance. Marinette didn't know it, but now she gave him two.

"Yeah, I- hold on." She jogged back to her skylight, laid on her stomach so she could dip head-first into her room, groaned a bit as she stretched for something beside her bed, and then pulled herself back up. The whole time Chat Noir kept his eyes focused on his bracelet, instead of Marinette's awkward positioning; determined to be a gentleman worthy of superhero status.

"Sorry, but here." Marinette held up a length of red yarn covered in an assortment of large yellow beads, along with a couple of blue ones in varying shades. The top of the yarn was tied into a loop, and the bottom was weighed down by a large yellow bead shaped like a bell. Around the center of the charm was a yellow bird, bookended by two blue beads.

"I don't-" Chat Noir's head tilted slightly as his eyebrows scrunched together. He couldn't quite figure out what he was supposed to do.

"This is a lucky charm a dear friend of mine made me." She smiled fondly at it as she cradled it across her palms. "He was feeling unsure of himself while we were practicing for a gaming tournament – the reason why Gamer came after me, if you remember -"

He remembered.

"-and, to try to help him believe in himself, I gave him a lucky charm bracelet very much like this one. He still carries it around, and he says it really does bring him good luck. So, he ended up making me one too. I can't carry it around in my pocket like he does, but I do have it hung up next to my bed, like a dream catcher, and, except for when Sandboy attacked Paris, I haven't had nightmares since."

Chat Noir had noticed the charm hanging next to pictures of his civilian self when Marinette first welcomed him into her room a little over a week before. He was going to ask about it, but wasn't sure how to do so when he wasn't supposed to know what it meant, or who gave it to her. He had figured, much like all the pictures of himself, she was using it as another example of Agreste Design, even if it wasn't his father that made it. His chest warmed knowing she was using it as a way to ward off bad dreams.

"So, this bracelet?" He held out his gift.

"A lot of people believe that black cats are unlucky, and I'm sure with a destructive power like Cataclysm, you might feel that way sometimes too. So, I figured I would help you balance out some bad luck with good. It's not quite a Ladybug Lucky Charm, but it's permanent, and maybe could bring you luck even out of costume. A- a way to keep you safe, or something. A way to remind you that you're not bad luck, or a burden. Just like the cat side takes up exactly half of that bracelet – I measured – you are equally important to Paris' safety."

Both of them softly blushed as their eyes met. Awkwardly laughing, they abruptly stepped away from each other, and looked in opposite directions. Chat Noir scratched the back of his neck, as Marinette rubbed her upper arm. In unintentional synchronization, they shifted weight from one foot to the next; trying to work out the nervous energy zipping between them.

After a few seconds, Marinette cleared her throat. "It's, uh, it's small enough that it should fit in your pocket. That way it can be with you both in and out of costume without you actually wearing it, if you'd like. Although, I'm not sure what happens to items you keep in your pocket when you de-power. Does it stay there? Or does it drop to the ground when the costume goes away? Or does it vanish forever?" She started panicking. She should have thought of a better gift for him, like he did for Ladybug.

"Wait, what do you mean 'costume goes away'? How do you know it's not a costume I actually have to take off and hide in a closet or something? It does have a zipper after all."

Marinette's unblinking eyes slowly widened. She talked too much. She had no clue why she talked too much around him. She did the same thing before Glaciator attacked them, when she told him they had met lots of times before.

"The, uh, Ladyblog! Yes. That's it. I read it on the Ladyblog. It was just speculation, of course, but when Ladybug told Alya – while she was Lady Wifi – that your masks couldn't come off because they're magical, Alya thought the whole costume was magical, and that it just sort of vanishes when you aren't superheroes." She swallowed hard as she forced on a smile.

"Oh yeah," Chat Noir rolled the beads of his bracelet between a couple fingers. "I forgot about that article. That Alya really is a better reporter than people give her credit for."

Marinette forced a laugh, grateful that the article actually existed. She was so panicked about her accidental overshare she just grabbed at whatever explanation she could think of. Alya figuring it out seemed plausible enough to work. She had no clue what her excuse would be if Alya hadn't written an analysis of their costumes, and if Chat Noir had called her out on it.

"I'm not sure where objects tucked in my costume pockets would go either," Chat Noir shrugged as he unzipped one of his pockets. "I've never actually kept anything in these before. So I'll try my best to remember it's in here." He tucked the bracelet inside, zipped the pocket back up, and patted it. "It is nice to know that I have a trinket from a princess to make sure I come home safe." He playfully nudged Marinette with his shoulder.

"Princess?"

"Well, if I'm the brave knight, then you're clearly the noble damsel – or princess – I fight to protect and keep safe. You even have your own tower." He gestured around Marinette's balcony.

"Silly, cat! You've clearly read too many fairy tales. Besides, who says I need saving?"

"Let's see, Ladybug said you needed saving when she found out Evillustrator was in love with you, you called out for me to save you when Gamer attacked, and you again when your grandmother became Befana, oh, and don't forget the time Glaciator was after you." Chat Noir playfully counted on his finger each time Marinette was directly involved in an akuma attack. "Then there was the time that your whole family was trapped in your own bakery thanks to Troublemaker. Oh, and I nearly forgot that Reverser was after both you and Nathaniel. I don't know if you knew that Ladybug and I protected you from him."

"Okay, okay, I get your point!"

"Goodness, Princess, you sure do need a lot of rescuing, don't you?" He winked.

Normally, Marinette was quite capable of rescuing herself, but he was right about Gamer, Befana, and Glaciator, so she let it slide. What was the harm in letting him think he was her shining knight?

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you're always around, huh? Speaking of, are- did you want to hang out for a bit? I'm sure you were just here to give me the scarf, but I could make up some hot cocoa if you'd like. And we still have tons of Christmas cookies."

"Cookies made by the Dupain-Chengs? Sold." He flopped onto the deck chair with a toothy grin.

"Don't you want to come inside?"

"Are you cold? We could go inside if you're cold, but my costume keeps me pretty warm. Plus, it's so gorgeous out here with Paris still all decked out for Christmas."

"No, outside seems lovely, at least for a little while. It's not all that cold tonight. Besides, I now have this lovely scarf to keep me warm." She smiled and opened her skylight to her bedroom. "Alright, wait there then. I'll go get us some treats." Marinette then placed the charm she got from Adrien back on her picture board before heading to the kitchenette.

As she gathered up goodies for them to share, Chat Noir relaxed across her deck chair. The air was crisp, the garland Marinette wrapped around her balcony banister was festive, and the lights shining from the Notre-Dame and reflecting off the Seine were beautiful. He unzipped his pocket and pulled his new bracelet back out. She had made him two. Two bracelets to give him luck. How could anything ever go wrong for him again with two amazing Marinette Lucky Charms?

He glanced past his shoulder, towards the skylight, and listened for any sound of Marinette's return. Nothing. He probably had time. He wanted to de-transform so he could try on his new bracelet and see how it looked, but he knew it would be difficult to convince Plagg to transform him back in time for Marinette to not find out who he was. It would be simple enough – he just had to say "Claws Out" to transform; whether Plagg wanted to or not – but Adrien certainly didn't want to deal with the consequences of doing so.

Reluctantly, he remained Chat Noir, and instead draped the charm across his wrist to get a basic idea. It was simple, and looked like it would fit him well. It was a shame Marinette could never know who Chat Noir was. He would have loved to secretly wear it to a photo shoot and see if he could sneak the bracelet into a magazine ad. That would have been a fun Easter Egg for Marinette; flipping through the latest teen magazine, spot an ad for Gabriel sports gear or something, and there, dangling off his left wrist, would be the bracelet.

 _If only_ , Chat Noir pondered with some melancholy.

"Sorry for the wait." Marinette popped back up with a green blanket rolled up and tucked under her arm.

Chat Noir put the bracelet back into his pocket, and then helped Marinette onto the roof. She rolled out the thick blanket, and gestured for Chat Noir to take a seat. She then scurried back inside. Chat Noir arched his neck, trying to see what she was up to. Soon enough, she re-emerged with an oval tray covered in large, star-shaped sugar cookies, and a pink thermos. Chat Noir crawled over to help her; grabbing the tray and thermos so her hands were free. Instead of joining him on the roof, Marinette disappeared once again.

Chat Noir carried the tray and the thermos to their little picnic spot, and laid both on the blanket. He picked up one of the sugar cookies, and sized it up. They were huge, roughly the size of his hand, and had a fine layer of yellow frosting painted on them. He took a quick nibble of one corner. The cookies were fantastic; exactly what he would expect of Marinette and her parents.

Marinette cleared her throat. "Couldn't wait for me?" She smiled to let him know that she wasn't truly offended, and she rested two mugs on her balcony before climbing up. Scooping the mugs back up, she settled next to Chat Noir on the blanket. Without another word, she opened the thermos and filled a pastel-yellow mug before passing it over to her visitor.

"A black cat?" He gave her a half-smile, and then tapped the front of the mug, which was decorated with the silhouette of a cat head.

"I thought it would be appropriate. Unless, of course, you'd prefer this one. I know how much you like Ladybug." Marinette gave him a sly smile as she held up the other mug: red and covered in black polka dots.

"Tempting." Chat Noir laughed, but then took a sip from the cat mug, "but I think I'll stick with the cat."

"Same." She held up her mug for him to clink, which he gladly did. "Chat Noir? I-I'm glad you had a nice day yesterday. I was worried that you would stay away so you wouldn't interrupt my family's Christmas, but I didn't want you all alone."

"It's alright, really. I had one of the best Christmases I've had for a while. I actually took what you taught me, and made my family scarves as well, and it really helped me bond. The second I saw my f-" Chat Noir's mouth clamped shut, and he shoveled the rest of the cookie in his mouth. "I mean, when I found out that someone important to me used to crochet, I knew I needed to use that as my gift to my family. It was like that person was still around to make us gifts. I think everyone really loved them."

"That's so sweet. I'm glad I could help."

"You did. You helped a lot. It's actually really appropriate that you're using a ladybug mug, because you truly are like an _everyday_ Ladybug." He made sure to emphasize the same wording he had used as Adrien. Her mumbling the other night made him realize how important that phrasing seemed to be for her.

It was her turn to nervously nibble at a cookie to avoid having to talk.

"So, uh, about your gift to Ladybug-?"

"Oh! Well, I actually decided to do something else for her. She's under a lot of stress as a superhero, and even though she seems to be handling it all really well, I was afraid it might wear her down. So I ended up going online to learn how to make these things called Worry Dolls. I was going to ask you how to make them, but I was a bit embarrassed to ask you how to make a second thing. I found a simple design, and was able to make her one Worry Doll to look like each of us Miraculous holders, minus Hawk Moth, of course. She seems to really like them, so thank you for giving me the confidence to make her something at all."

"You're welcome, but I'm still a bit confused as to why you put in the time to make her a scarf if you weren't going to give it to her."

"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing. I had made the scarf, you seemed to have liked it – which is why I made you one just like it – and I was planning on wrapping it for Ladybug. Then I realized how much the scarf meant to me. It was this unknown connection between me and someone I really miss, and I wasn't ready to give that up. Also, I realized she wouldn't be able to wear it. You were right, it would be a bit awkward to wear the scarf while in costume, and while out of costume, wearing the scarf would be a dead give-away that she was Ladybug if I ever saw it. So, I held on to it. Maybe someday I could give it to her."

"It was really smart, what you did about the scarf, and also really sweet to make those dolls. It was kind of you to think of Ladybug like that. You're always her protector, aren't you?"

"I am sorry, my princess, but I do have other damsels who need my protecting, and I'm Ladybug's shield first and foremost."

Marinette chuckled. "You really have read too many fairy tales. Just don't get careless as you try to protect Ladybug. She needs you as a _partner_ not as a shield."

They settled into a silence, the same one they had grown accustomed to while he visited to crochet.

"How did everyone like the gifts you made them?"

"They all really seemed to like them." Marinette then briefly told Chat Noir about the gifts she made for everyone, how she delivered them, and everyone's reactions. She beamed as she talked about finding the movie poster, and giving it to Adrien. She admitted that having to work with Chloé was a bit irritating, but it was worth it to see how much the poster made Adrien smile.

When she was done telling her stories, Chat Noir talked about his meet-up with Ladybug, and how it went so well he stayed out past midnight. He had meant to visit Marinette either before meeting up with Ladybug, or at least leave the present for her to find after his meet-up, but he lost track of the time in both cases. A theme that seemed to continue into that night.

They spent the next couple of hours drinking hot cocoa, eating cookies, and talking. They discussed their Christmases, and their plans for the new year, and how annoying all the akuma attacks were, but at least Hawk Moth had taken a break on Christmas; letting everyone have at least a happy holiday.

It wasn't until Marinette began shivering did they notice how long they had been talking.

"You should head inside. I'm sorry I kept you out here. I should have remembered how much protection I have in my suit compared to your jacket." Chat Noir gathered up the tray, thermos, and mugs before standing and holding out his hand for Marinette.

She accepted, and then leaned down to gather up the blanket.

"Don't worry about it. I had a nice time, but you're right. I should head inside." Marinette opened her skylight, dropped the blanket onto her bed below, and then took the tray from Chat Noir. "Chat Noir?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

"I really enjoyed spending time with you this week."

"I did too."

"You're welcome here any time, so let me know if you ever figure out Ladybug's birthday." She winked, and lowered herself down into her room.

Chat Noir laughed back, before bowing to his host. "My many thinks, princess. I might have to take you up on your offer. In case I don't see you before then, though, have a happy new year."

"You too, Chat Noir."

He gave a slight nod, and then pole vaulted off her roof. He headed home, a place that no longer felt quite like a prison. All thanks to a new movie poster, a new scarf, and a new skill. All thanks to Marinette.

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 ****A/N: So much for a "short" epilogue, huh? These two were bigger talkers than I originally thought. It was supposed to be simple: they exchanged gifts, talked about why they made them, and had a picnic... but, as per usual with my stuff, it became a bit more involved than that. :P**

 **As I said in the opening chapter's A/N, I fear that I'm head hopping a little bit in this, but I also felt like I should have told a bit more in Marinette's POV. For instance, the noise from when Chat Noir first arrived at her home was because she still had the Chat Noir worry doll out, and she was fumbling to hide it before he could see that she had it. I just couldn't figure out how to show bits like that without hopping from Chat's POV to Marinette's. Even with all the polishing, I just couldn't figure out how to keep this epilogue FULLY with Chat Noir's POV in mind. Please forgive that.**

 **I want to give Chibisunnie another quick shout out. She** **drew me a Christmas card of some MariChat goodness, and of COURSE I had to use her artwork as inspiration for the picnic scene. I really wish FFN would let me leave a link so you could check it out, but the best I can do is tell you to look for chibisunnie on DeviantArt.** **  
**

 **Thank you all for taking this journey with me, and a very merry - and extended - Christmas to my buddy Taurus Pixie, whom I dedicated this story to.****


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